What Could Have Been
by whatif05
Summary: When Tony gets shot during a case, he sees how life would be if Kate was still alive (Life Before His Eyes - Tony Version).
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone :-) This is my new fanfiction and I hope you enjoy reading it. As first chapter, this isn't as good as the following ones are going to be ;-) - I do NOT own NCIS or its characters. **

The morning sun came up, turning the color of the heaven bluer and bluer. It was a lovely Tuesday morning in the middle of May. No clouds, no rain. Just the sun. It would be a good day to go to the beach or maybe make a little shopping tour. But for special agent Gibbs, this was not how he would spend his day. Sitting in a bullpen with his colleagues Tony, McGee and Ziva. They didn't have a case to work on at the moment, so they were all stuck with paper work. No one really minded not having a case at the moment, since they ended there last one the day before. Now everyone could write their report. And they had a lot to write, due to the fact that they had been working on the last case for barely three weeks. It was a serial killer and while they were trying to catch him or at least trying to figure out who the murderer was, he had killed three more people, having a total of seven. And now the team had to write about each and every single death because the murderer didn't mean to kill them all the same way. Instead, he had kill them all differently. That was what took them so long anyway. At first they just got the four bodies, one body per day. It was after about five days until they realized that each of the bodies had a similarity - they looked the same. Blond, Blue eyed, tall, female, all in their mid twenties and all worked for the navy. Trying to find their murderer, they got three more. It was just about to change from seven bodies to eight, but the team arrived right on time and could get the guy before it was too late. Now writing a report about those seven victims was a long process, but that came along with the job. But it was so distracting - the entire floor was crowded, and the window showed the beautiful day. Everyone who could think was now wanting to go home and enjoy the day, but there was only one way to get that - finish their report. They started writing when it was eight in the morning, which was about two hours ago.

Even though it was all crowded, in the Gibbs bullpen everyone was silent until Tony broke it, "I think I'm getting cramps in my hands."

"Just type faster and you will be done writing earlier", Ziva offered, gaining an annoyed look from Tony.

"Or I stop writing forever", he continued complaining.

"Or you stop complaining", Gibbs offered.

McGee nodded, "He's right, if you don't think about your pain, you won't feel it anymore."

"Shut up, McGee."

"Just saying."

"Just saying", Tony imitated his colleague.

Gibbs' phone rung, interrupting their argument.

Tony looked at McGee and low-voiced said, "Look outside McGee, it's such a beautiful weather. I would like to get this done now, so how about you just shut up and let me finish this. Because I would love to end this freaking report and get a new case to go outside!"

"Your wish was fulfilled", Gibbs said while getting up and making his weapon ready, "We got a new case."

All of the sudden everyone seemed relieved to not need to write anymore. Writing straight for two hours was a lot, and having something else to do as some kind of break was feeling right. Tony imagined that their new case would be somewhere by the beach so they could somehow combine their job with the good weather. But how lucky would he need to be for that! Still, for Tony everything would now be good and he was almost a hundred percent sure that the others felt the same way. So now it was crime time.

On the drive to the crime scene, Tony got curious, "What is our new case, boss?"

"A petty officer was stabbed to death after being held hostage in an old left factory building in Baltimore."

"A he or a she?" Tony asked, hoping it wasn't another women. After that serial killer who had killed seven women he surprisingly didn't mean to have the next case including a dead woman as well.

Gibbs hesitated for a second, knowing why Tony was asking, "A she."

Hearing that made everyone moan. It wasn't fair at all to be annoyed by the victim's gender. But it was just too many female bodies in the last couple days. Tony, who had said that he wanted a new case, decided not to have that wish anymore.

"As long as she isn't blond..."

Ziva laughed for a second, "Wow, I think Tony just got tired of women."

"Dead women, Ziva, yes. I like seeing women alive. Not dead ones."

And that wasn't because of their last case at all. A lot, yes. But there was another reason. A reason why he preferred cases with dead men instead of cases with dead women. That reason had a name. Caitlin Todd. Sitting in that car filled with his colleagues, he tried not to think of his deceased colleague and friend. It wasn't as if he would start crying everytime he thought of her. But still it hurt thinking about that dark day. But then again, what would this dead women have in common with Kate? Like Gibbs said, that petty officer was stabbed to death while Kate was shot to death. And then again, the two of them did have something in common - both were being held hostage by their murderer. They both had the chance to kill them. But both couldn't for some reason. So maybe this woman had feelings for her murderer? Or maybe she couldn't move so she didn't have a chance to end his life before he could end hers. Maybe her murderer had given her something that made her unable to move. But that was something they could first find out when they had actually arrived at the crime scene. Now comparing the murder of that strange woman with the one of someone who had been close to him was kind of stupid. But even though they didn't die in the same way, they still had things in common, just like all the other murders that had every happen. There was something that connected all murder victims. And thinking of that fact made Tony feel less stupid. Actually, it wasn't stupidity he felt, more hate on himself for still not being all over Kate's death. It had been over seven years, but it still didn't let him go. There were still things he wanted to tell, he had to tell her. But it was too late. If he could go back in time, he would change everything and safe her this time. But how would that be possible? It wasn't, exactly his point. There were nights he couldn't fall asleep, or where he would wake up in the middle of the night, or ones where he would wake up way too early. Those sleepless nights had a reason. And of course that reason was Kate. There was a thought in his head that couldn't let him go, and it would never let him go. A thought that kept all the things Tony still wanted to tell her. A thought which said that he was an idiot for not protecting her. It hadn't been his job to protect her, no, actually it had been her job to protect Gibbs, which she did. And he was mad at himself that he hadn't told her to stay in the NCIS building so that he could have protected Gibbs instead. Then Kate would now sit in that car, maybe having he same thoughts over Tony.

Tony was glad when the car finally stopped, meaning that he could work, thinking about something else than Kate.

The federal agents got out of the car and Gibbs told Ziva and McGee to look outside the factory building for evidence, before he sent Tony inside the building to take pictures of the body and the crime scene. Gibbs himself stayed at the car and waited for Ducky who, again, was late. But he didn't mind since that gave him time talking to the couple that found the petty officer.

The couple was in their thirties. They were visiting the woman's sister, when the couple noticed the beautiful weather, they said they would take a little walk outside. And it was then, when they got lost. They just went straight in one direction in the hope of finding a city or at least people who could tell them where to go. When they saw the factory building they assumed someone was working in there, but all they found was a dead petty officer.

Tony walked into the big factory building to take the photos. No one was in it, except for him and the petty officer who was killed. Every step Tony took resounded in the building because it was so high and almost empty. He took a look around - lots of boxes, no windows, just one big door which was the only light source. Tony took a look at the wooden boxes. Whatever had been in there, no one worked here anymore. So what was in the boxes? Whatever it was, Tony decided to take a closer look on the boxes later. First of all he wanted to take the photos. Even though he would take care of the boxes later, he thought about them. Could the building be a hideout for the murderer? Was he a drug dealer and she found out and wanted to expose him? Tony could already see the lifeless body sitting on a chair in the middle of the building. When he decided that he would take a closer look at the boxes later, he went over to the chair and took a look on the body. Her hands and legs were chained to the chair, her head lay on her chest. She wore her uniform, so she had either just arrived on land or was just about to go on a ship again. The hair of the woman was dark blond and shoulder long, maybe even a little longer. It was hard to tell because her hair was covering her face and her body wasn't straight, of course. Tony took a closer look, there was blood running down her body, and there were a few bloodstains on the ground. Taking a closer look on the blood he figured that she must have been dead for a few days. Whoever killed her hadn't been any kind. She was probably here for a few days before she was killed. Tony took out his camera to take some photos of the petty officer before putting on his gloves and looking for an identity. When he found her wallet he looked in it and the first thing he saw was a picture of her and another girl with long, bright blond hair, green eyes, and a beautiful smile. The petty officer, he now noticed, had brown eyes. The two girls were probably friends or even best friends since they didn't even look a little bit alike.

"Petty Officer Jenna Parker", he read out loud.

Suddenly, there was a noise coming from behind the boxes. Tony let the wallet fall, grabbed his gun, and pointed it into the direction from where they noise came from. He waited, but no one came. Maybe just a mouse? It definitely wasn't Gibbs or any other co-worker of his, because they would have said something already. Tony slowly walked over to the boxes, where the light was worse than in the middle, where petty officer Jenna Parker was.

"NCIS, get out", he shouted, still walking over the boxes. He had almost reached the corner behind which whoever came in there was, when suddenly a person dressed all black, with the face covered, stood in front of him, with a gun as well. Tony was just about to shoot or scream for Gibbs, when the he heard a loud shot. The covered person had shot him. Tony fell on his back. He could feel his side aching. And the room got darker. And darker.

**Okay, that was the first chapter! A little mess it is, and you're porbably wondering where Kate is... all in its proper time...**


	2. Chapter 2

**New chapter :) Looks like a few already like the story! Thanks for all you reviews. And now here you go, second chapter!**

"Tony... please wake up", he could barely hear a familiar voice. It got clearer and clearer with every second, but he didn't know where he was. His eyes were closed but Tony could feel that it was bright around him. And he'd just been in that dark old factory building... and he was shot! Did he die? Was he in heaven? He tried to open his eyes, but it was very hard. With every single second he felt more awaken. He felt stronger too. So he tried to open his eyes. He thought that the familiar voice was Ziva. But opening his eyes more and more, the shape of the woman who just said something, got clearer and clearer. At first he did think that it was Ziva. He could see the brown hair. But after a few seconds already the person didn't look like Ziva anymore. The person looked like... No, that can't be true!, Tony thought. That can't be... or could it? Could that person be Kate? Did that mean he was dead? Suddenly he could hear something beeping. It sounded like a machine. Were there machines in heaven? He opened his eyes a little more, until he could see that person completely. And it was Kate. She looked at him and suddenly there was a smile coming up on her face.

"Tony? Tony, are you awake?"

"Am I... dead?" He forced himself to ask.

She smiled more now, "No, you're alive. Wait, I'll get the doctor."

She wanted to get up but Tony stopped her, "Wait... please, don't go!"

"I'll just go to the door, I think he's still standing on the hallway", she lightly smiled, continuing to walk away. Tony could hear that she opened a door. It had definitely been her voice, but... how? Was she a ghost or some hallucination of his? Tony could hear her calling for someone. It took about ten seconds until she came back in his view, next to her a familiar looking doctor.

"Look Tony, it's Dr. Brad Pitt, remember him?"

He got even more confused now. Was she real? Or was everyone dead?

"Am I dead, doctor?" He asked, with his cracked voice.

The doctor made the same face expression Kate did, "No. You've been shot at a crime scene and fell into a coma."

Tony suddenly remembered what happened, but that didn't answer why Kate was there, "When was I shot?"

"A couple of hours ago. But don't worry, nothing serious happened to you, whoever shot you, he or she didn't hit any rib of yours, so you'll be fine. You're just a little dizzy right now due to the amount of blood you've lost. But since you woke up already I can tell you that you'll be fine soon."

So, since Kate, or ghost Kate, had called the Doctor, who told him that he was in a coma, it must have meant that Tony was in a hospital.

"Where is Gibbs?"

"He continued working on the case. Whoever shot you was probably the murderer of petty officer Jenna Parker", the Kate-looking woman said.

The doctor looked back at Tony, "Okay, I gotta check your eyes now", the doctor said before taking a flashlight and lightening Tony's eyes.

"Okay, everything looks good", he said.

"Does that mean I can leave now?"

"Yes, but stay at home for the rest of the day", Dr. Pitt answered before looking at Kate, "If he has any complaints, call me."

She nodded, before he left the room.

What was going on? He would have asked the doctor, but maybe, just maybe, this was all real somehow. And if he then asked the doctor why Kate was still alive, they would probably bring him into some therapy.

"Here, Gibbs brought you some clothes. I'll wait outside until you're done changing and then I'll drive you home", the brunette said before leaving the room.

On the way to his apartment, Tony was coming up with more and more questions. But how should he ask them? Kate would probably bring him straight back into the hospital if he told her that she was supposed to be dead. So before he asked any questions, he had to find out where he was, or better, what had happened. Because maybe in real life he was still in a coma and he just imagined all this? But how would he get back then?

"You don't look good, Tony. Everything alright?"

He looked at her, "Of course everything is alright. I've just been shot, not killed."

"I'm not talking about the shot..."

"Then what?"

"You look worried. What is it?"

"I'm not worried", he defended himself.

She sighed.

"I'm just a little... confused."

She stopped the car because they arrived at Tony's apartment. She helped him inside and looked at him, "Confused?"

"I'll just lay down a little."

Kate smiled. That beautiful smile he hadn't seen on her face for a very, very long time, "Alright, see you tomorrow then", she said before leaving.

Tony sighed after the door closed behind her. He looked around. Everything looked so normal. Nothing seemed different. So maybe he was just dreaming? Tony suddenly noticed that he felt tired, so he went to his bedroom where he darkened the room before laying down in his bed to get some sleep. Even though he didn't want to wake up from this dream, he knew it was better to wake up from it earlier.

He woke up. For a second he didn't know where he was. But he could feel that it was his bedroom. What had happened? Right, he has had that weird dream where Kate was still alive. It was very dark in his room so Tony asked himself why he was awake - then he knew. Something was making a noise... his phone.

"Yes?"

"You're late Tony, everything alright?"

"Who is it?" Tony asked, not quiet sure if he was still dreaming, because the voice from the other end sounded just like Kate's.

"Ha ha, very funny. Now get up your lazy butt and come here. There's a bunch of work we have to do plus you probably saw the murderer, so hurry up", she hung up.

So... wasn't he dreaming? Or was he still dreaming? Anyway he had to go to work now. Maybe there he could find out more about what was going on. The thing was, he felt like telling someone. But there was no one he could tell about his situation. Even if he told Gibbs he would end up being called crazy. And that would do anything but help him. It drove him crazy that there was no one he could ask about everything. Like what had happened in the last few years? Considering the fact that the doctor told him he was shot during that case, most things probably happened just like in real life. But yet not everything could have been the same! Especially because Kate and Ziva were such different people. Tony probably had to spend some more time with Kate to find out more. And that wasn't the only reason why he would be spending much more time with Kate than with anybody else.

Walking into the bullpen, Tony could see that everyone was working.

"You feeling better?" Kate greeted him with a little smile.

He nodded before sitting down at his desk, "Did I miss anything?"

Gibbs stopped typing and looked at him, "No, but there wasn't much to do. But now let's talk about the guy who shot you. Do you remember anything?"

"Well whoever it was was about as tall as me, and wore dark, large clothes. And its face was covered."

"Do you know whether it was a guy or girl?"

Tony tried to remember, "I don't know."

Gibbs nodded in comprehension, "Alright, just try to remember and tell me when you remember something else."

Tony nodded, "Alright, boss. So... what did you do while I was away?"

"Ducky took the body in autopsy, he and Palmer are still working on it. We took a look at the photos you did and try to find out as much as possible about Jenna Parker", Kate answered.

"What do we got so far?"

Now it was McGee who answered, "As far as we know she was single, lived alone, twenty-nine years old, joined the Navy two years ago."

"And no ex-boyfriend", Kate added.

"So you've had the theory that the guy who shot me was her ex-boyfriend?"

"We did, but as far as we know, there is no ex-boyfriend."

Tony was suddenly shocked, "Wait... so she was single her entire life? Like... twenty-nine years without a boyfriend?"

Kate rolled her eyes, "Why did I know that you'd say that?"

"Cause I'm a handsome, open guy?"

"I'd go with annoying, but okay."

"But still... maybe she's had some Romeo-Juliet romance thing going on with someone, so no one knew? Besides, who did you ask about that?"

"Her dad", Gibbs answered.

"Aha", Tony interjected, gaining three confused, questionable looks from his coworkers that made him explain, "What if Daddy's little girl wasn't being an angle anymore, making Daddy sad and angry?"

"That's ridiculous", Kate responded.

Tony's answer sounded a little offended, "Why?"

"Ducky informed us that the murderer was right-handed, something you can easily make out when a body was stabbed to death. And her dad has a broken arm."

"Which he broke while holding his daughter hostage", Tony replied, fighting for his theory.

"No, he broke his arm two months ago, which we checked already. He wasn't our murderer", McGee pointed out, making Tony silent.

Tony stopped saying. Okay, so his theory was already proved wrong. Normally he would try to figure out more about the case, but his thoughts were now more about him than some dead petty officer. It was probably the most ridiculous question Tony had ever asked himself, but right now it was important to know - If Kate was still alive, was their relationship as always or maybe even more? He didn't want to ask himself such a question, because it wasn't like he was interested in her or anything. Or maybe he was. Frankly, he didn't know. Too many years have passed and in the last few years, all he could think of was that she was dead. There was no use in imagining them together. Especially since he didn't even know what she felt for him. But what if Kate and he were together? Now in that world in which Kate was alive. He had to find out. But how? One couldn't just ask someone whether they were together or not. Especially if the answer was ,no'. But he had to find out.

**Alright, hope you enjoyed it :) Next chapter coming soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so so so so so so so sorry that it took me so long to continue ! But there was school and tv and christmas that got me busy plus I had that damn writer block but now here it is! Hope you enjoy :)**

Gibbs phone had rung. Ducky had called him down into autopsy. McGee also left, helping Abby with some computer problem, leaving Tony and Kate alone. It was definitely weird, Tony was so nervous and that even though all he was unsure about was his relationship to Kate. Alright, that was something very important, but then again - Was there any chance that she was interested in him? Remembering all the things he could remember from their past, meaning the time they worked together before she was shot, he didn't feel like their was any sign of love coming from Kate. But frankly, wasn't it weird that he even thought about the possibility of them being together? Because in fact, why would they be together?

"Stare at me one more second and I'll shoot you", the brunette agent pulled him out of his thoughts, making him realize that he had been staring at her the entire time.

"I? I wasn't staring at you..."

"Aha, sure. So, are you gonna tell me what you were thinking of?"

"Nothing", he said, maybe a little to fast.

"Tony... are you sure you're okay? Maybe you should take the rest of the day off as well. That shot didn't kill you but..."

"It's not the shot, okay, I'm fine."

For a moment, Kate just looked at him. Tony knew that she was worried, but it felt so wrong talking about his feelings after he was shot into a coma. He should be the one worrying about her feelings after she was shot to death. And he was worried. But he couldn't tell her. Maybe she was right and he did need to take the rest of the day off, but that wouldn't bring him anything. He wouldn't figure anything out if he was in his apartment. To find out what had happened, he had to figure out why she was still alive. And why he was dragged into that world in which Kate was still alive. Of course there were a lot of people, psychiatrist, that could help him with that, but they would only put him into some therapy and take his money. So in fact there was no one he could talk to. There was a special psychiatrist he knew, Kate's sister Rachel, but did they ever met in... in this different world? And how would someone react if one told them that their sister is supposed to be dead! Then you didn't have to be a psychiatrist to bring that person into a nuthouse.

"Sorry", she said, "I was just trying to help."

Tony shook his head, "No, I'm the one to be sorry. Thanks for caring, Kate."

She looked confused.

"What?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, why?"

"You are so nice out of sudden."

"When am I not nice?"

She pretended to think, "Always. You're Tony DiNozzo after all."

"Well, I figured I should thank you for everything you do for me."

"You should really go look for a doctor, Tony. You're sure acting strange."

Yes, he wasn't hiding his usually not being here very well, but he couldn't help it. Talking to her after all those years was... Weird and nerve-wracking. He wasn't the type to be nervous, but it was Kate after all. The one and only Kate. The one he had been missing so bad. The one he thought not to see again. The one he saw dying. The one he wished to talk again. The one he loved.

"I'm just thankful to still be alive. You should be too."

"Huh?"

Okay, now he did confuse her completely. Tony was truly nervous to talk to her, so he couldn't help saying what was on his mind.

"Nothing."

"Well I am thankful to be alive, but it's not like I was shot."

"Yeah, right..."

"What's with the sarcasm?"

"Sarcasm? There was no sarcasm."

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. When he didn't reply, she got up and walked over to his desk, "Are you sure you're alright? Cause you don't look fine."

"Being home won't make me healthy now, would it?"

"But working won't do so either. Plus, since you've been shot you might better take a break from this case."

"No, Kate, I can't take a break from this case!"

She sighed, "What is so damn important about this case, Tony?"

He waited a few seconds before replying, "Actually nothing. And then it hit me."

"Do you think this is the right time for joking?"

"It's never not the time for a joke, Kate", he leaned back in his chair, "Now tell me, why do you care so much about me?"

"I was only remembering rule ten."

Rule number ten, Never get personally involved in a case. Too bad that this was the rule he had most troubles with. Plus, if there was a time to break that rule it was now. Tony was somehow dragged into a world in which Kate was alive, and he got there by being shot during a case. So there was a huge reason why this case was so important. He didn't know whether solving the case would tell him why he was in this kind of world, but if he tried to solve that case, he would be spending a lot time with Kate and that was what he needed to do. Even though if probably no one knew the answer to his question, he could at least spend the time by doing something necessary.

He didn't know how long he would be able to be in this world and he didn't know if he would ever return to the real world. What was it that had dragged him here anyway? So he would feel all the pain again. All the pain he went through after Kate had died?

Tony knew that there were a lot of questions to which he needed to find the answers to understand the situation he was in, but those questions were ridiculous. Nevertheless, there was no other way of coming to the final answer without knowing those small answers.

"Kate..."

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you a really weird and stupid question?"

She seemed to think for a while but then finally said, "If it's one of your stupid, childish questions I'm not gonna answer it though."

"Do you remember Ari Haswari?" His voice begun to be a little shaky. It had been a long time since he lastly said or heard that name.

"Of course I do", she said with a nod, her voice sounding so relaxed and secure.

"What happened to him?"

Tony could feel Kate's confused face expression laying on him, but she didn't say anything about the probably most stupid question on earth. She probably thought that he was still confused from the accident.

"You don't remember? When we were on that roof that Ari idiot tried to shoot us but Gibbs saw him and called in air support."

"Right..." Tony slowly said.

Kate walked back to her desk, sat down and started typing something. Tony on the other hand just watched her typing, instead of working himself. He tried to image the scene in front of him, Kate on the ground because she had saved Gibbs from being shot, and then, instead of them helping her up, Gibbs seeing Ari and with that saving Kate's life. He liked that. That was how he wanted things to be. That would have been good. But then again, did that mean that Ari was still alive?

"What happened with Ari?"

She stopped typing, looking at him, "He got away at first, but Gibbs later caught and shot him."

"Okay", he simply answered. Tony was very glad that she just answered him and didn't asked him whether he was stupid or crazy for not remembering such an important day.

"Maybe it would be better for you to go to the doctor? I mean you seem to have some memory loss. A couple of checks wouldn't be bad?"

He shook his head, "Everything's fine."

"It should be", Gibbs said when he walked in the bullpen.

"Anything new?" Kate asked their boss.

He shook his head, "Not really. You two go to the crime scene, try to find out as much as possible. Maybe you can get a lead to who hold her hostage and why."

Tony and Kate got up, made their guns ready and headed over to the elevators.

Gibbs looked after them. Something felt strange about Tony. And it wasn't because of the shot at all.

"Alright Abs, everything is fine again", McGee happily smiled after fixing Abby's computer.

She nodded, "Good, then we can finally start working. Maybe we have some fingerprints on the chains she wore, it was a simple rope after all."

"So whoever held her hostage was not a policeman, since they would use handcuffs."

"Exactly. Tony found the wallet of Petty Officer Jenna Parker with a photo in it which shows our victim together with another girl, probably a friend. But friends can be your worse enemies."

McGee looked at her, "You think her friend did this?"

Abby shrugged, "Everyone's capable of murder, McGee."

"Alright, but how about we first find out her friend's name before accusing her for murder."

Abby nodded and faced her computer, "Could take some time now. Do we have anything else? Like a cellphone or something?"

"No, but do you really think that a person who's being held hostage still has a phone?"

She nodded again, "So it's just her and her wallet."

"Anything?" Gibbs asked while walking inside.

"We're just about to find out who the other person on the photo is. Did Ducky find out anything?"

"Yes, Ducky is now certain that the Petty Officer died because of the shot and whoever held her hostage gave her food and water."

McGee nodded, "So her murderer didn't really intend to kill her, but wanted to find out about something."

"Find out what is was that made Petty Officer Jenna Parker's murderer kill her", Gibbs ordered, before leaving again.

The two agents walked into the big empty factory building. The chair on which the Petty Officer was, was now gone, and so was her body. Tony slowly walked over to the place he had been shot, filling the room with an echo each time his feet touched the ground. He seemed to look at nothing while he was remembering how he was shot. It made him think whether in this world the shot was exactly the same. But seeing as the body is the same, it seemed that it was only a different co worker he had by his side now.

"I believe it was a man that shot me", he said, feeling Kate's eyes lay on him. She came closer, not saying anything so he could continue, "He was about as tall as I was. He shot me with an ordinary, nine millimeter gun. He didn't show a little skin and it happened so fast I couldn't see his eyes. But he was definitely male, and strong."

"How did he got outta here?"

The two of them walked further to reach the wall to see whether there was a door, but there wasn't. It was just the boxes.

"What's in the boxes?"

"There's nothing in them, we checked that already. It's an old factory building, the owner probably left them here because they didn't want to throw them away", Kate suggested, looking at Tony as she was feeling as if he had an idea.

"But why did the murderer of Petty Officer Parker chose exactly this factory building? Those boxes gotta be important."

Kate came closer, "Do you think there's a secret entrance or something like that?"

He nodded, "C'mon, we only need to remove the boxes over here, seeing as he stood over here when he shot me, he probably left in that direction too or else he had run into Gibbs and everyone else."

When the two of them settled on a box to put away, they pushed it to the side.

"I guess this was the right box to put away," Tony stated when the two of them starred at the wall that had a hole in it.

"It's a pretty small hole, Tony. Are you sure he fit through it?"

"We'll see", he said, getting down to crawl through it. He perfectly fitted through it, he even could have been a little bigger. He stopped crawling when he suddenly saw something that caught his attention, "Kate come here!"

**Cliffhanger again! Hope you liked it. Next chapter (already working on it!) will hopefully come sooner than this one :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Yes, I am still alive! School was in the way, but here you go, another chapter. Hope you like it :) I do NOT own NCIS by the way.**

"What? What is it, Tony?" Kate asked while crawling through the hole, lying on the ground next to Tony.  
"Look at this", he answered, showing her what he had found.  
"A photo?"  
Tony nodded, "And isn't that the blond girl that was also on the picture that Petty Officer Parker had in her wallet?"  
Kate took the photo out of Tony's hands and studied it, "I'd say yes, but let's let Abby check that."  
The two agents then went back to the Navy Yard to give Abby the photo.  
Loud music came in their ears when Tony and Kate entered the lab.  
"Abby", Kate screamed, making Abby turn around and turn the music down.  
"What do you guys got for me?" Abby grinned before Tony handed her the photo.  
"We went back to the crime scene and we found this picture. We think the blond woman on it is the same that was also on a picture that we found in the wallet of our dead Petty Officer", Tony explained the situation.  
"And you need me to check whether it's the same person", Abby went back to her computer, followed by Kate. Meanwhile, Tony looked at Kate, once again, just to again remind himself that she was alive for some reason.  
Even though Kate felt his eyes on her, she ignored it. Whatever it was that Tony dealt with at the moment, she decided that he would either tell her or not. And if he didn't, she would simply ask him. No matter what was bothering him, it was definitely something big. He just seemed so different to Kate. Maybe she should ask what the others thought. Or maybe she was just being paranoid. In the end, she cared for Tony which made her think about him so much.  
Suddenly Gibbs walked in, interrupting her thoughts, "You got something?"  
"Tony and I found a picture on the crime scene. It shows the blond girl and we believe that she's also on the photo from our victims wallet. Abby is checking that right now."  
Gibbs nodded, "How long, Abby?"  
Abby turned around, facing her boss. She was just about to answer when the computer made a beeping sound. Abby turned back around, "It's a match. The woman's name is Dana Stewart, she is working in a bar and she", Abby paused for a second.  
"What is it?" Gibbs asked.  
"And she's dead."  
"So she won't be able to help us", Kate added.  
"We can't be sure that the photo is from the murderer though", Tony stated, "Maybe the Petty Officer lost the photo when she was brought in the factory building."  
"Tony, we found the picture by crawling through a small hole in the wall. I doubt her murderer pushed her through it. He probably used the main entrance."  
"How did she die?" Gibbs walked over to Abby's computer.  
"She was shot to death", Abby read out loud, the words resounding in Tony's ears. Within a tiny second his mood completely changed. It was in front of his eyes. That horrible scenario he would never get out of his mind again. The situation he hated himself for. The moment that changed everything. The day Kate died. He could see it in front of him. She stood there on the roof after Gibbs and Tony had helped her to get up again after she saved Gibbs life. She was smiling in her last moment, because Gibbs agreed with Tony. And then it hit her. Her lifeless body fell to the ground. The warm blood started to burn on Tony's face. Even though it was Kate's heart that stopped beating in that very moment, it was Tony's heart that shattered in a billion pieces, and it felt as if those pieces were sharp, cutting everything that was inside of Tony's body. He could only feel pain. He felt weak. He felt guilt. He felt helpless. Not only had Kate stopped living on that day. But Tony as well died on that day.  
"You alright, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, pulling Tony away from his memory.  
Tony blinked before looking at the others who looked at him, worried, "Uh... yeah sure."  
"And once again: You should've stayed home, Tony", Kate rolled her eyes. Tony tried not to look at her too much or too long. But it was hard not to.  
"Go get some food for the two of you", Gibbs ordered, looking at Kate who nodded in agreement before taking Tony to the elevator.  
Inside she briefly studied him, "You know... Gibbs won't fire you if you take off for some time..."  
"I said I'm fine."  
"You obviously aren't."  
"But this is why we are getting food, isn't it?"  
The elevator doors binged and the two of them stepped outside, entering the break room in which the agents always got food for themselves.  
Kate got them something out of the snack vending machine before returning to the table she told Tony to sit at.  
"Thanks", Tony said when he got the snack from Kate.  
"Did you feel dizzy?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Down in Abby's lab just a few minutes ago. You suddenly looked like you were going to die", Tony could see fear and concern in Kate's eyes as she was speaking. She really cared for him. And he would tell her the truth, but she wouldn't understand. She would rather tell him to go see her sister, the psychiatrist.  
"Yes, I... felt a little dizzy. But I'm fine."  
"You know that when I say you'd be better off at home I don't want to annoy you or get rid of you..."  
"I know." A moment of silence rushed through the room, before Tony continued, "Thanks for your concern, really. But that's just from the shot. I'll be better soon."  
"Is that why you felt dizzy suddenly down in the lab?"  
Tony didn't understand, "What do you mean?"  
"Well, she said that Dana Stewart was shot and then you started looking really sick. Did it remind you of the accident?"  
Tony smiled soothing, "No. It wasn't that."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Well I", Tony briefly grinned, knowing that he should have agreed with her instead of honestly saying that he thought of something else, "I was just suddenly feeling a lot of pain rushing through my body. It's nothing I can change, it's just something I have to live with I guess."  
"Well, you'll be fine anytime soon", Kate reassured him.  
He smiled, "Yes."  
"Just let me know if you need anything or wanna talk about something."  
Tony looked into her eyes, not being able to do anything but smile by seeing how alive they look, "Since when are you so nice to me? Are you planning on doing something mean to me, Kate? Or did I do something and you want to take revenge? Is that it?"  
For the first time since Tony had landed in this world he saw and heard Kate giggle, "No. I'm simply being nice. You've been shot. Wouldn't you be too?"  
"What if it was too late?" Kate stopped smiling when she heard Tony being so serious.  
"All I can tell you is that we're both alive."  
"Everytime we leave this building there is a chance that one of us dies. It's really possible that we won't be alive for long."  
"So far we have survived a lot."  
"I don't feel like I have", Tony admitted, looking down at his hands, remembering how different he had felt ever since Kate stopped breathing.  
"Then why are you sitting at this table with me, breathing?"  
"Just because I breath doesn't mean that I am alive."  
"Why would you say such a thing, Tony? Are you really sure you are fine?" Kate was confused, shocked by how Tony was talking. He sounded so strange. Where was that lighthearted, crazy film lover?  
"I just don't feel so good."  
She sighed, "Alright, this is it", She got up.  
Tony looked at her, "What are you doing?"  
"Come on", she said, taking his hand and pulling him to her so he would stand, "I'll bring you home. You need to get some rest. Come back tomorrow if you feel better, but I will not let you stay here any longer."  
She pulled him into the elevator. From the elevator to the door. From the door to the parking lot. Into his car. He gave her his keys so she could drive. She drove to his apartment. Tony kept looking at her the entire ride.  
Inside his apartment, Kate told Tony to change while she went into his kitchen to make him some tea. When he changed into a pajama, Kate made him lay down on his bed and put a blanket on him.  
"Drink this", she said, reaching him the old cup filled with tea.  
He took a sip before looking back at her, "Thank you."  
"Can I leave you here all by yourself?"  
Finally, his sassy smile came back on his face, "You know me better than this, Katie. 'Course I can!"  
"Okay. Just give me a call if you need anything, okay?"  
"Okay."  
"And don't even think about getting up. Stay in bed and get some rest, okay?"  
"Okay", he repeated.  
"Good", she softly smiled, gently squeezing his hand before leaving his apartment.  
He sighed,_ I have missed her so much_, He thought before slowly falling asleep.

**Next chapter will come sooner! **


	5. Chapter 5

**New chapter :-) Thanks again for the reviews. Enjoy this mysterious chapter ;-)**

The elevator binged and the brunette stepped out of it before walking into the bullpen, taking off her jacket.  
"Kate", Gibbs said, coming from the stairs, making the female agent turn around.  
"Yes?"  
Gibbs stopped and started talking when he stood in front of her, "Do you know what's with DiNozzo lately?"  
She shrugged, "I have no idea, Gibbs."  
"I want you to take care of him", Gibbs assigned her before turning away to walk to his desk, but Kate stopped him.  
"What do you think is wrong?"  
He turned around to face her and kept his eyes on her for a little before shrugging, "I have no idea."  
"_You_ don't know? Then it's gotta be something bad."  
Gibbs walked over to her again, "Don't worry, he'll be fine."  
"But he... he seems so different. Something is bothering him, Gibbs."  
"Whatever is bothering DiNozzo, he will be alright, Kate, okay? He got shot and now he is getting over with it."  
"That's not it", she argued.  
Gibbs kept looking at her, "I know you are worried, but there is nothing we can do right now."  
"Yes there is! We could talk to him or..."  
"You know him better than that, Kate. You know Tony won't just come out with whatever it is he is dealing with right now. I also don't like that he is the way he is right now but he will come out with it when he is ready."  
She swallowed, "Yes."

A cold wind stroke him as he stood there in the day light. But where was he? It felt familiar. But it wasn't a good feeling. His stomach was turning and he felt nervous. Everything was blurry. But it got better, his view got clearer. The sky was almost clear, the ground was hard. He heard shooting. And then Tony realized where he was. He was on a roof. He could feel the hard gun in his hands. The shooting stopped. Suddenly, Kate stood in front of him. She smiled at him. Tony knew what would happen next, he wanted to scream at her to go down, he tried to push her away. But he couldn't speak, he couldn't move. He heard a loud gun shot before a red hole came on her forehead. Her dead eyes starred at him.  
"No", he screamed, with once sitting straight in bed. He was sweating, hardly breathing. Tony felt his muscles slowly relax when he realized that it was just a dream. Or wasn't it? Maybe he just woke up in the usual world. The world in which Kate was no longer alive. Tony felt his head pounding. The entire situation was confusing him and giving him a big headache. It wasn't as if he found it horrible to see her again. But seeing her face, her smile, hear her voice, those things upset him and he just wanted to hold her close. Hold her close to him, never let her go, and save her forever. But he couldn't even tell her how much he missed her, because to her, she never died. Tony didn't even know in which world he wanted to live. He wanted Kate to be alive, but was that the right thing? No, he couldn't possibly think about her being dead as the right thing. Was that even his decision? Was that his chance to bring her back to life? If he did, he would change everything.  
"Damn", he sighed, rubbing his forehead. Tony suddenly heard footsteps. He was just about to get his gun when the door to his bedroom opened and a man walked inside.  
"Who are you, I'm a federal agent, you better leave my apartment", Tony seriously shouted.  
The man smiled, "I am not here to hurt you and neither will you."  
"How did you get in my apartment?"  
"You shouldn't stay in bed too long", the man meant, pointing to the window, "Look, it's already bright outside."  
Tony took a look at the man. Did he know him? The man looked old, but healthy and fit. The man didn't look familiar. Who was that creep? Was he some psycho that was about to murder Tony?  
"Tell me your name or-"  
"I am here to help you."  
"I don't need help, _you_ do!"  
The man kept smiling, "I am fine, thank you. Maybe you haven't realized it yet, but I don't intend to harm you."  
"What do you want from me?" Tony shouted, getting out of his bed.  
"Let me help you."  
"Sir, do you want me to bring you outside? I know where the hospital is and it would be a pleasure for me to bring you there."  
The old man laughed, "No, no, I'm fine. You've experienced some changes in your life, haven't you?"  
"Please leave my apartment _now_!"  
"I will watch over you until you have figured it out."  
"Figured what out?"  
"The reason why."  
"The reason why what?"  
"You have to find that out by yourself."  
"What?"  
"It's me, DiNozzo", Gibbs introduced himself before he stepped into Tony's bedroom.  
Tony looked at Gibbs before looking back at the old man again. But the old man was gone. Tony kept staring at the place the weird old man stood for until five seconds.  
"Are you okay?" Gibbs asked, stepping closer to Tony.  
Tony nodded and looked at his boss, "Sure."  
"You look terrible!"  
"Thanks, boss", Tony answered ironically.  
"Come on, get some food", Gibbs meant before he and Tony went into the kitchen.  
Gibbs got some food for Tony and brought it to the small table in the kitchen.  
"Here, eat something", Gibbs ordered before he sat down in front of Tony.  
"Thanks, boss."  
Gibbs watched his colleague eat, "Kate is pretty worried about you, you know?"  
"She is?" Tony giggled, the way he did when he was upset and hiding something.  
His boss nodded, "Yes. I told her that she has to give you some time before you are completely healed from the shot."  
Tony looked at his boss, "Thanks. I guess I should talk to her."  
"Tony... you know that if anything bothers you, you can just talk to me."  
"I always do, boss!"  
Gibbs nodded, "Then tell me what it is."  
"Wh-what do you mean?"  
"What's wrong, Tony?"  
"I was shot, Gibbs. I bet you have been shot already too, haven't you", Tony replied.  
"Is that everything?"  
Tony nodded. Gibbs knew that Tony was lying but he simply nodded back, "Okay."

"Have you heard anything new from Tony?" Abby asked when Kate walked into her lab.  
Kate shook her head, "No... Gibbs thinks it's the shot that bothers him."  
"Well, I'm pretty sure that Gibbs is lying."  
"Why?"  
"Because he wants to make us feel better instead of worrying", Abby explained.  
"It's not working though."  
"You're worried too?"  
"Of course I am, Abby! I'm just glad that he survived the shot."  
Abby nodded, "Me too."  
"Maybe we should solve the case already. It might make him feel a little better?"  
"That's true. And I guess what would also help is keeping him away from the crime scene."  
"You're right, Abby."  
"Kate?"  
"Yes?"  
Abby suddenly started grinning brightly, "Another thing that would definitely help Tony is having you around him."  
"What's that supposed to mean, Abby?"  
"He likes you", Abby answered in a singing voice.  
Kate rolled her eyes, "Shut up."  
"It's true."  
"It's not true!"  
"Okay, but you like him."  
"No. Maybe you like McGee, but I don't like DiNozzo."  
Abby shook her head, "No. But you do like him and he does like you."  
"I think you're spending too much time with chemistry that you see more chemistry between people than there actually is."  
Abby grinned, "You can deny it, but you can't hide it."  
"Do you have something new about the case, Abby?" Kate changed the subject.  
"No. Beside the dead friend of our Petty Officer there is nothing I could find out since there isn't really anything that I got."  
Kate nodded, "It's alright."  
"But what wonders me is, how did the second photo that you and Tony just found got outside the building."  
"There's a connection", Kate noticed.  
"A connection?"  
"Yeah, the woman on the photo Tony and I just found is the same that was on the photo we found in the Petty Officer's wallet. Tony and I found the picture after we crawled through a small hole in the wall. We assume that this is how the murderer was able to flee after he shot Tony! He must've lost it then which means there is a connection between the murderer and the victim."  
"I guess you have to find out everything you can about Dana Stewart."  
Kate smiled satisfied, "I knew Tony was wrong when he said that the photo is from the Petty Officer."  
"Your version of it definitely makes more sense than his", Abby giggled.  
But yet, the case was not solved. And also Tony had to figure out some things.

**Some mysterious man appears and disappears! Who is that man? I guess you have to continue reading :-)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here you go, new chapter! :-) Thanks again for all the reviews! And as always, I do NOT own NCIS.**

At noon Kate arrived at Tony's house so Gibbs could go to work. Usually, Tony would do everything to not have someone to watch over him, after all he was a grown man and not a little child anymore.  
"How are you?" Kate asked after Gibbs closed the door behind him.  
Tony now sat on the couch in the living room, Kate in an armchair to face him. Tony looked tired, exhausted.  
But he managed to put a small smile on, "I'm fine, thank you."  
"You look like a vampire that hasn't slept in years, Tony", Kate seriously told him.  
He put a shocked face on, "Does that mean I'll sparkle as soon as I'm in the sun light?"  
She would usually hit him now, but under his circumstances she just gave him a dead stare, "I'm serious, Tony, haven't you slept well? Maybe you should go to the doctors and maybe you will.."  
Tony cut her off because she could say any more, "Kate. I'm fine", his voice was soft. How could he take so much care of her and her feelings when he was the one to be taken care of? "I just had a nightmare and couldn't sleep so good. Doesn't everybody have that sometime?"  
"Sure", she sighed. Everyone knew that there was something in the matter with Tony and that he would need some time to come out with it. But Kate couldn't just look at him and pretend that he's fine as always.  
He smiled, "I'm really thankful that you are here, taking care of me."  
"Really?" Kate was surprised. Good, of course Tony wasn't always the childish teenage boy he almost always was, but yet he never thanked her for being around despite stating his feelings.  
"Yeah, of course! It's great to see that you care for me so much."  
She looked down for a second before looking at him again, "Of course I do."  
"This reminds me of when I had the plague."  
She rolled her eyes, knowing what he was going to say.  
"You pretended that you have the plague too, just so you could stay with me."  
"I couldn't leave you alone there", Kate talked herself out of that situation.  
"But to be honest, making me think that you have the plague as well was probably worse than actually having it myself."  
"You were glad that I was there."  
He nodded, "I was glad that you stayed with me, but I wasn't glad when you pretended to have the plague too! In the end, I'm grateful that we both survived it."  
"Yeah", she nodded, the tone of her voice changing into a sad one, "It made me think, you know. About... how it would be if either of us were dead."  
"Don't say such a thing", Tony slid closer to her, putting his arm around her, "We're both here, right?"  
"I know but... everytime we leave the NCIS yard there is a chance that one of us won't come back", she stated, looking in his eyes.  
He fought the tears back. It wasn't just the fact that he knew exactly how it would feel if she wasn't alive anymore, but also the way she looked at him, with such a fear in her eyes. He gave her a kiss on her hair, gently rubbing her shoulder and arm. His voice was calm and smooth, "Listen... no matter what job we have, every single person in this world faces death every day. By walking outside we risk being killed by a car, or a psycho with a gun in his hands. Even if you let this fear overcome you and you decide to stay at home forever you will eventually die. You could still have an accident at home or die because you don't go outside. This is just the way life is. We don't live forever. This is why we have to use every single moment in which we are alive. 'Don't waste any good', remember? It's one of Gibbs' rules! So don't think too much about how life would be one day."  
A tear rolled down her face before she leaned against his body, whispering, "I know."

"What did you find out, McGee?"  
"Dana Stewart and Petty Officer Parker haven't worked together but they have been friends since school until Dana Stewart was killed a few weeks ago."  
"Was Dana Stewart's murder solved?"  
McGee nodded, "Yes, she was killed by a street gang. She was just unlucky to be there."  
"There's no connection between Dana Stewart and her murderer?"  
"Exactly. The report of her murder says that she was accidentally entered the territory of the gang and they didn't like that."  
"Are they under arrest?"  
McGee nodded again, "Yes, they are all under arrest, which means that they didn't kill Petty Officer Parker."  
"Was the Petty Officer involved?"  
"If you mean whether she was there, no. So whoever killed the Petty Officer, couldn't have accused her of Dana Stewart's murder since Petty Officer Parker wasn't with her."  
"Did the Petty Officer and Dana Stewart have any same friends?"  
"Probably, I have to check that."

Tony laughed, "No, I didn't!"  
"Yes, you did", Kate giggled, "Don't pretend that it's not true."  
"I think you're lying", he grinned.  
"No I'm not lying! You did name a dog after me."  
He sighed teasingly, "Okay, fine, you win. But, you did the same."  
"I know. But just because the dog was just like you."  
"You mean adorable?"  
She laughed sarcastically, "Yeah, sure."  
"I think I could get used to the thought of you watching me half of the day."  
"I'm glad you're alright", Kate replied, rolling her eyes.  
"My brain is perfectly fine, thank you."  
"I think you've always had some damage in there", she winked, touching his head with her finger.  
He put on a disappointed face, acting, "This hurt me, Katie, it really did."  
"Shut up", she grinned.  
Tony laughed at first, but then got serious, "When can I go back to work?"  
"Tony!" Kate sighed, "You're still not doing well and as long as it's so don't think about work."  
He nodded, "I know, but..."  
"No buts! We are working on the case and to be honest, there is not much you could do even if you were alright."  
"You're lying."  
"I'm not lying. We do need you Tony, but we need you all healthy."  
"So you're missing me at work?" He grinned.  
She rolled her eyes, "Abby is missing you, Tony."  
"And so do you!"  
"Why should I? I'm right here with you, right?"  
He nodded, "That's true."  
"So, do you plan on staying on the sofa the entire day?"  
"When I can't go to work there must be something really bad going on with me, so in fact I can't do anything."  
"I see, NCIS and you are pretty close, huh?"  
"No need to get jealous", Tony winked.  
She shook her head in reply to that comment, "Well, is there anything you want to do, or what?"  
"How about you and I watch a movie?"  
"You do realize that I was asking whether you want to do something where you gotta raise your butt, right?"  
He giggled, "Teasing, teasing Katie! Okay how about you and I do some cooking? I'm starving!"  
"Sure", she nodded before the two of them went into Tony's kitchen, "So, what are we gonna cook?"  
"Let's see what I got", Tony answered before checking out what they could cook, "I got Pasta."  
"Good, that's easy to cook and won't take us long", Kate agreed.  
The two agents prepared everything they needed to cook the food. When they were done cooking, they put the food on plates, put them on the table and got themselves some water to drink.  
"This is really good", Tony complimented the two of them.  
Tony nodded, "We are a good team."  
Kate smiled, "We are."  
He had to smile, thinking about that. All the time, missing Kate and mourning for her, he never thought about how good they actually got along. Sure, they were always teasing each other and were mostly arguing. But that was what made them who they were. He wouldn't want them to be any different, and couldn't even imagine them being any different. There was just one thing Tony knew at that very moment: He was glad to have some of them back again, no matter for how long it would be.

**Hope you enjoyed this more sweet being chapter and look forward for the next one :-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**New chapter, woo hoo! :-) Hope you enjoy. Like usual, I do NOT own NCIS.**

The next day was Saturday. Tony woke up to a beautiful warm day. He got up and walked in the kitchen where he made himself some breakfast before walking in the living room to watch some tv. But he couldn't concentrate, there was too much going on in his mind. The cartoon that was on tv in the moment was more like a background noise to the agent, filling the room with some sound so it wouldn't be too quiet and empty. While the tv was filled with colors and noises, Tony's mind drifted far away.  
There were a lot of things he had to figure out. As a special agent of the NCIS he always had to find things out, but usually he would go and ask several people about it. This time, he couldn't talk with anyone. Yet he was able to figure some things out, like the fact that apparently, everything that he experienced seemed to be the same in this world, just that here it was that Kate was alive instead of Ziva. Also, it didn't seem as if he and Kate were in a relationship. But it was probably better that way. He had to get used to having her around again. How would life be if he had woken up not to just find Kate alive, but to find her alive and in a relationship with him? He would have laughed about it, thinking it was all a big dream. Tony came to believe that this was a second chance for him. Or maybe it was a second chance for them. He could shed tears just thinking about the fact that Kate was alive. She was alright, breathing, smiling. And she was her old self, the self he had missed so much. At the same time though, he had to remember that he could wake up any moment, just to find himself back in his world. This was a dream after all... even though it felt so real. Frankly, Tony had no idea whether it was a dream or not, but he found it best to view it as such.  
There was a sudden repeating noise that made Tony stop thinking. When he realized that the noise was a knock on the door, Tony got up and went to open the door, just to find someone in front of him that made his heart beat faster.  
"What are you doing here?" He asked with a soft and gentle voice.  
Kate smiled, "Well, I... I just felt like I shouldn't leave you alone so I decided to stay with you for today."  
His body relaxed a little, "You do know I'm not a child anymore?"  
"No, there's not really a sign for that in you", Kate teased him.  
"Nice and lovely as always", Tony ironically grinned, letting Kate in.  
"You're watching tv? You'll end up as a couch potato, Tony", Kate meant when the sound of the tv reached her ears.  
The two of them walked in the living room and sat down on the sofa, "So, what do you wanna do with me, mommy?"  
"Very funny, Tony. I'll just be here, like a sofa pillow. Just ignore me", she winked.  
"Ignore you? That's impossible, you're way to Kate for that!"  
Kate took a pillow and hit him. He knew this was a sign of affection and he didn't mind.  
"Thanks", he said, taking the pillow in his hands to put it back. Because Kate took it from the side on which Tony didn't sit, he had to lean over her a little to put it back, his body striking hers a little. He slowly leaned back again, now being a little closer to Kate than he was before. They looked each other in the eyes silently. It didn't feel awkward, like you could sometimes see on tv. No, it felt natural, and good. They could both sit there looking at each other like that forever.  
"I'm glad you came", Tony admitted after a while.  
A smile came on Kate's face again, "Really? I thought you were too old for someone to come over to yours?"  
"I know you're here because you want to, and... I feel better now."  
"You do?"  
"There's something I want to tell you..."  
Kate nodded, giving Tony her entire attention, "Anything."  
"When I woke up in the hospital... you seemed so relieved..."  
Kate closed her eyes for a second, remembering her feelings while Tony was in coma, "I was... scared", she admitted, her voice shaking. Never would she be able to forget how she felt when she heard Tony being shot. Tony walked in the factory building to take photos, while McGee and Kate took the suitcases out of the car. When they got everything they needed they walked to the factory building. They were just about to reach the entrance when they heard a loud gunshot from inside. Kate immediately realized that Tony was in there. She let go of the suitcases she carried in her hands and started running, not even hearing Gibbs shouting her name and running after her along with McGee. When she saw Tony lying on the floor, she ran even faster, kneeling down next to him as soon as she reached him. Tears immediately came in her eyes, yet she managed to turn his body around to see where the bullet had hit him. The bullet hit him in the side, "Tony", Kate screamed again, trying to wake her friend up again, hopeless. "Gibbs, we need an ambulance", she yelled in the next second.  
Tony took her in his arms when a few tears ran down her face. He gently kissed her hair, rubbing her arm softly, "It's okay", he whispered to calm her down a little.  
"I sat there in the hospital the entire time, praying that you would wake up again..."  
Tony closed his eyes, holding the tears back. He felt his heart breaking, hearing how concerned he was. He hadn't been in this world for long, but yet he only saw his pain and his feelings, instead of the ones of the people surrounding him, caring for him.  
Kate continued, "And when you did, I was so happy. I don't know what I would do without you."  
He was strong, and he was able to hold back his feelings. But hearing her say something like that, made him unable to hold back his tears anymore. He nodded in her hair, "I wouldn't know what to do without you either", he honestly admitted, knowing what he was talking about.  
She smiled a little, "That's not true", she whispered, "There are plenty of women out there, if I ever died you would get over it quickly."  
He loosened his hug, still having his arms around her, to face her, shocking her a little when she noticed the tears on his face, "No", he started, and she immediately believed him, hearing his honest voice, "Please don't say that ever again", he pleased.  
She nodded and whispered a small, "Okay."  
"You're not any woman. You are Kate. You're always there by my side. You're making my life hell and one day you will hit me to death. You listen to me and I know that I can tell you anything. You're serious when you have to be, and all the other time, you make me laugh. I could never forget you or replace you. And get over you? No... I don't think that I ever could."  
She needed some seconds to process that, before she snuggled against his chest, his strong arms surrounding her. He gently took his arm and pulled it under her legs to lift her up and softly placing her on his lap so they would be closer where he pulled his arms around her again. It felt good to sit with her like that. It was different. The times he spend with her that he could remember from his world, the two of them wouldn't get that close. But now they had a reason, and it was something that they wanted for so long.  
"Then I won't die, I guess", Kate meant.  
Tony giggled and smiled, "Good plan. But of course you have to stay young, I could easily get over your death if you were an old lady."  
She softly hit his shoulder with her hand, "Glad to see that you're doing alright."  
"Yeah, right", he agreed, knowing that she was rolling her eyes about that comment.  
"Some people never change", Kate stated, making Tony grin.

**People asked for more Tate and... this is just the beginning! :-) Hope you liked this chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for all the reviews, I loved them all. As always, I do NOT own NCIS. **

The two friends fell asleep a little while later. A few hours later, Tony woke up.  
"Aw, how lovely", he heard someone say. He recognized that voice.  
"You again", Tony said when he found the old man standing in the kitchen. Tony carefully lay Kate down on the sofa and pulled a blanket over her, before walking in the kitchen, "What do you want from me?"  
The man sighed, "I am trying to help you."  
"Help me? With what? You're not even telling me who you are!"  
"Is it really that hard to tell? In time, you will figure out who I am."  
"Tony?" The agent could hear a tired voice saying, making him turn around. Kate opened her eyes a little, meaning she was still sleepy. There was a chance that she hadn't heard him talking to the man. Thinking about it, Tony turned back around, but the man was once again gone.  
"Yes?" Tony turned around again.  
Kate put her arms under her head before saying, "How late is it?"  
"It's... three pm", Tony answered after taking a look at his watch.  
"Three pm? Oh god, how could we sleep so long?"  
"It's the magical DiNozzo sleep. You could sleep forever, lying in my arms", he grinned.  
Kate sat up, rolling her eyes, "You're a pig, as always."  
"I was... just about to make some food, you want some?"  
"What food?"  
"Well I... don't really have anything, but I could order some Chinese food?"  
Kate nodded, "Sounds good."  
After Tony ordered the food, he joined Kate on the sofa, who watched tv.  
"You have like a zillion tv channels, Tony", Kate noticed, zapping through the tv channels.  
Tony grinned, "Glad you enjoy it."  
"I gotta admit, I thought half of your tv would be full of porn or cars, but you actually got some quality channels on there!"  
"You should stop being so prejudging about me. You know I love movies."  
"Yeah, but there are channels on which you can learn something."  
Tony gave her a questionable look, "I take that as a compliment?"  
"Take it as whatever you want it to."  
He smiled looking at her, she was so pretty. Not pretty as in Hollywood pretty. Pretty as in natural pretty. Her brown hair looked so smooth, her skin so soft. Her eyes had the most beautiful color he had ever seen, and her lips... Tony always tried not to think of them or he would probably end up kissing them. And then there was her cute nose. There was practically nothing that he disliked about her. To him, Kate was perfect. Not just her face, or her body. But her personality. Tony loved how Kate reacted to his jokes, his teasing and everything else he did. There wasn't a thing he didn't love about her. She was perfect. Of course she had flaws, she was human after all, but they made her the person she was, and he loved every single thing about her. And what made everything even better was that she accepted him, even though she often hit him for the way he was thinking. Yet, they were both comfortable around each other and never got tired of one another, or at least not at all. Also, they never really lied to each other.  
"What is it?" Kate's soft voice asked when she noticed that he kept staring at her.  
He smiled, "Nothing."  
"I'm not quiet sure whether I should believe you that", Kate playfully meant.  
"Oh no, how can I prove that I am right? How can I make you believe, that I am not a liar? I do not want to lie to you, my lady", Tony acted exaggerated.  
Kate rolled her eyes, "You're the biggest idiot I've ever seen."  
"So I have a place in your heart?" He teased her with a grin on his face.  
"Sure. A really little one."  
"Ha, I bet I have a huge place in your heart."  
"Keep dreaming, Romeo!"  
"Everything for you, my beloved Juliet", he winked.  
She shook her head, "You're probably more entertaining than any tv show could ever be."  
"That makes my heart jump."  
"I meant it in a you're-pretty-annoying way."

On Monday morning, Gibbs and McGee decided to visit Dana Stewart's parents, to get more information about her murder.  
When they reached the address, the two special agents stepped out of the car, walking to a white door on a gray porch.  
"Special Agents Gibbs and McGee, NCIS. Can we come in?" Gibbs introduced the two of them when a pretty woman in her forties opened the door.  
She nodded and let the two men in.  
"She is... dead?" Mrs Stewart asked after Gibbs told her about the murder of Petty Officer Parker.  
McGee nodded, "Yes."  
"But... what does that have to do with me?"  
"When we went through Petty Officer Parker's wallet, there was a photo of her and your daughter, Dana. Nothing suspicious, until we found another photo of Dana only at the crime scene. We think the murderer knew Dana."  
"Well, Dana and Jenna have been best friends for ages. They have had several of same friends."  
Gibbs nodded, "Did they also have enemies?"  
"No way, the two of them hated fights. If someone didn't like them, they would have ignored them."

"That wasn't really helpful", McGee stated when the two agents left the house.  
"We need more evidence."  
"Remember one time when I witnessed a murder?"  
Gibbs looked at McGee and nodded, "Yeah, why?"  
"I was hypnotized to remember the murder. Maybe Tony could do the same? He was shot by the murderer after all, so maybe he'll remember some more about that guy?"  
Gibbs nodded, "Good idea."

"You need to move, Tony", Kate complained by the sight of the agent still sitting on the sofa.  
"You told me to stay home, didn't you?"  
Kate rolled her eyes, "Yeah, and I didn't tell you to do sports, all I'm saying is don't just sit on the couch for the entire day!"  
"I am moving! In the morning I get out of my bed to go to the sofa and in the evening I go back to bed. And in the middle of the day I have to go the bathroom sometimes. That's moving and there's not much more to move to in here."  
"Okay, but I'm not making you any more food, you hear that?"  
"Well I got a telephone. I can order food."  
"Yes, but then you would need to move to the door to get it", Kate argued.  
Tony kept silent for a few seconds before he sighed, "Alright", he got up, "Are you happy now?"  
A smile came on Kate's face, "Yep. Now, come in the kitchen and make yourself some food."  
Tony was just about to walk in the kitchen, when Gibbs, McGee and a familiar looking woman came through the door, "Sit down, DiNozzo", Gibbs ordered.  
Tony gave Kate a funny look before he sat back down on the sofa, "Why am I sitting again?"  
"We're gonna hypnotize you", McGee shortly explained.  
"WHAT? Don't you need my permission or so for that?" Tony asked in shock of the sudden situation.  
"I'm your boss, I don't need your permission."  
Tony nodded, "Right. So, what do we hypnotize me for?" He was a little nervous, not knowing what was going on. Were they thinking he was crazy? Did they find out that he was confused by Kate being alive?  
"Maybe we can find out how the murderer looked. You'll talk about the shot and maybe you can describe the person that shot you good enough."  
Tony swallowed. He remembered the shot, but back then he was in his usual world. What if he mentioned Ziva? He was pretty sure that even though it had been years, no matter where he was, Gibbs would remember her.  
He could only hope that he would not mention her.  
As soon as he was hypnotized, Tony started talking about the shot.  
"There is a noise coming from behind the boxes. I let the wallet fall and grab my gun. I point it to the direction from where the noise comes from. I think it might just be a mouse, but it didn't sound like one. I get closer to the boxes and identify myself. I almost reach the corner, but there's suddenly someone standing in front of me", everyone in the room could see that Tony's hard beat faster with every second.  
"It's a man. He's about as tall as I am, and he has a gun in his hands. He wears black clothing, covering his face."  
"Describe his appearance more clearly, Agent DiNozzo", the hypnotist ordered.  
"He's clearly a man, strong body, wide shoulders. He shakes a little bit, I think he is a little nervous. It's too dark to see his face clearly. I try to call Gibbs or Z...", he paused, "but I feel pain and fall to the ground. The room is getting darker, but I... see his face a little bit better now. He is in his late twenties."  
"Can you tell me more about his face?"  
"I can't see it. It gets darker."  
The hypnotist carefully woke Tony up.  
"At least we have his age now", Kate tried to me optimistic.  
Gibbs sighed, how were they suppose to find the murderer of Petty Officer Jenna Parker?

**The case is hard to figure out. But I can tell you this: It has more to do with the situation than you might think...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Once again: Thanks for all the reviews! :-) I do NOT own NCIS, but I hope you can enjoy this new chapter I wrote!**

In the evening, Tony and Kate sat on the sofa together again.  
"Tony?" Kate suddenly said, breaking the silence.  
He automatically looked at her, "Hm?"  
"Earlier when you were hypnotized and talked about the shot... you said you tried to call Gibbs."  
"Because that's what I did", Tony replied, not sure why she was bringing that up.  
"And then you wanted to say another name. You said you tried to call Gibbs and Z...?"  
Tony looked at her clueless, "Did I? I don't remember, sorry", Tony lied. He did remember though. And he knew what he was talking about when he was hypnotized. He was able to stop himself from saying Ziva in the right moment. If he had noticed that he was saying her name a little later, everyone would have figured it out. He hated lying to her, but he couldn't tell her the truth. Maybe he would do so one day, but not today. Not yet. If he ever did tell her, she wouldn't believe him anyway. She would think he was crazy and before he knew it, he'd end up in some psychiatry.  
"Oh, okay", Kate accepted it. Even though she wasn't quiet sure whether he was telling the truth. After all Tony was acting very strange since he woke up in the hospital. Kate figured it would be best to give him some time, but yet she couldn't get rid of the feeling that something was wrong. Then again, she was probably just concerned.  
"Anyways", Tony tried to change the subject, "Now that the hypnotizing thing didn't really bring us any further, what are we going to do about the case?"  
Kate shrugged, "I have no idea. All I can tell you is that it bothers Gibbs a lot that we don't have any suspects."  
"I guess that's to be expected, right? But it is like we're at a dead end."  
Kate nodded, "So far. Then again, the way I know Gibbs he won't give up."  
"True", Tony agreed.  
Kate sighed. Tony looked at her, "Something wrong?"  
She just smiled, "No, I was just thinking."  
"About..?"  
"Since when are murderer at a crime scene?"  
"Huh", Tony said, "Never thought about that before."  
"Think about it, Tony. The Petty Officer had been dead for quite some time. Every normal murderer would do anything to get away from the crime scene to have an alibi. So why would this murderer stay here? Not even leaving when we arrived?"  
"Good point. Maybe he still had evidence to get rid of?"  
Kate agreed, "Maybe. But why would you shoot a random person?"  
"Maybe he got scared?"  
"Scared?" Kate laughed, "That guy held her hostage before he killed her. I don't think he's easily scared."  
"Yeah, but somehow this is all not making any sense."  
"Maybe we just didn't understand it yet", Kate meant.  
Tony sighed, "Some cases are just harder to solve than others."  
"That's true", Kate agreed, leaning back on the sofa. Tony turned more to her to keep facing her.  
"I guess we have to work extra hard on this one."  
"Okay, I know it means a lot to you, and of course we have to give our best, like everytime, but... don't overwork yourself, Tony", Kate's soft voice came in Tony's ears. He smiled. It was nice to see how much she cared for him. But had she cared so much for him before as well? Thinking about it, Tony never paid attention to how much she cared before.  
"What?" She asked, ending his thoughts.  
"It's just... did you always care so much about me?" Tony wanted to know in all honesty.  
Kate just starred at him for a few seconds before she said, "Yes", as if it was the most logical thing in the world.  
"I never noticed it until now", Tony answered, knowing that he should regret having said that. If she was still alive and he did spend all those years working with her, he had probably noticed it.  
"Well I always have and... always will", she added.  
A smile appeared on Tony's face, "That's good, cause the same goes for me." He wasn't even lying. Of course he couldn't exactly care about how she felt in the past few years, since she was dead in his world. But he did care for her when she was alive, and he did care for her now.  
"Still... don't overwork yourself with this case just because you've been shot."  
Tony sighed. If it was only that. But there was so much more to this case than they could see. And something with the case was strange. Tony could feel that this case had more to do with him than he first thought. This was why he had to figure everything out, find the murderer and the reason why. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. But he was optimistic that he would find the murderer. He had to figure out what was going on. This wasn't just a dream he had after a traumatic accident. It was bigger and more important. Just what was it that made him come here, in world where Kate was still alive, to solve this case?  
"I don't care whether I'm breaking a rule of Gibbs' with this or not, especially because I can't change that I am already personally involved", Tony explained to the brunette woman.  
Kate sat straight again before putting her hand on his, giving him a reassuring and warm smile, "I know. And I'll help you solve it. Just know that you're not alone. You have a complete team with you, each of the members responsible for the results. And me always being there for you and having your back."  
"Thank you", Tony softly smiled before hugging her. Why did she say those things to him? Was she trying to make him cry? Of course he didn't, he was strong enough not to. But to hear that from the woman he loved, from the woman he had missed for years because she seemed to be gone forever, that was just heartbreaking. The least he could do now was hugging her. "I know that you're always there for me, just like I am always there for you. I'm just really glad to hear it", Tony added. He remembered something. When he first met Kate's older sister, Rachel the psychiatrist, she told him that Kate knew he was capable of a lot more than most people thought. She just never got a chance to do it. _I am glad you finally got your chance to tell me the truth, Kate._ Tony thought with a smile on his face. And maybe, just maybe, there were even more chances she would take. And maybe, there were some chances that he would take as long as he was here, in this world.

**Wait for more lovey-dovey chapters! :-) Hope you enjoyed it so far.**


	10. Chapter 10

**New chapter! I do NOT own NCIS so go ahead and enjoy this chapter.**

It was Tuesday, when Tony finally returned to his job. He almost saw the scene coming - he left the elevator just to find no one in the bullpen. Where was everybody?  
"Tony", Abby happily screamed when she arrived at the bullpen, "You're back!"  
"Yes, I am", Tony answered when Abby came to hug him tight.  
Abby let go of him again after a few seconds and informed him about the case, "Okay, now that you're back we can easier solve the case. So, is there anything you can tell us that we don't know yet?"  
Tony shrugged, "Not really. So... where is everybody?"  
"McGee and I are still going through the evidence downstairs in my lab, we're trying to find any kind of DNA we can. Gibbs and Kate went to the crime scene again", Abby explained.  
The special agent sighed, "We saw everything already, they won't be able to find anything new there, so why wasting time trying to find something that isn't there?"  
"You know Gibbs", Abby answered, giving her friend and colleague a warm smile, "He gives everything to solve this case especially since the murderer shot you."  
"I hope we find this guy soon!"  
Abby nodded, "Me too. It bothers me that we don't have anything to work with!"  
"Do you think that guy has experience killing people?"  
"I don't know", Abby shrugged, "It wouldn't surprise me. But why would an experienced murderer stay at the crime scene?"  
"Kate and I have the same question. This is what doesn't fit in the entire thing."  
"Why do you think did that guy stay there?"  
"Actually I think he returned. I guess he forgot something? There has to be something he needed to get back. Why else would he go back there?"  
"Yeah, but there wasn't anything strange that could be something he forgot", Abby replied, thinking about all the things the agents found at the crime scene.  
"Show me all the evidence, Abs", Tony ordered, before he and Abby went to see the evidence.

"How's DiNozzo doing?" Gibbs asked, opening one of the boxes in the factory building.  
Kate did the same, "He's doing good so far."  
Gibbs stopped opening boxes when he realized that all boxes were either empty or full of metal. He stepped closer to Kate, looking her straight in the eyes, "Who is Z..?"  
Kate sighed, "I don't know."  
"I guess I have to talk to DiNozzo", Gibbs meant, but Kate shook her head.  
"No... I already asked him. He doesn't know either. He couldn't even remember that he said that."  
Gibbs looked at her seriously, "And you believe him?"  
"Gibbs", Kate sighed, "Why would he lie about that?"  
"I don't know. But since he woke up in the hospital he is different."  
Kate nodded, "I thought I was the only one... the thing is, I have no idea what it is. I think we both know Tony good enough to agree that it has to be something really bad because normally, he would tell us everything. Now it's the opposite."  
Gibbs nodded in agreement, "I thought the same thing."  
"Gibbs... you're Gibbs, you have to know something. What is your gut telling you, huh?"  
"That there is something DiNozzo isn't telling us."  
Kate sighed. Seeing as Gibbs also had no clue of what was going on with Tony, she got more concerned. It was Gibbs after all who seemed to always know everything. But now he didn't. That wasn't exactly good.

"A men? Maybe her father?"  
Tony shook his head. He just told Abby everything he could remember about the case and especially everything that happened before he was shot. Actually they went to Abby's lab to see the evidence, but there wasn't a lot of it, and the evidence that was there wasn't helpful, "Then why would Kate and I have found that second photo of Dana Stewart?"  
"Good point."  
"I think it was a friend of the two friends."  
McGee nodded, "But why? Didn't Mrs. Stewart tell you that they didn't have any fights with their friends?"  
"Parents don't know everything, McGee", Tony replied.  
"But I guess they notice if their kid has a really bad fight which eventually leads to death."  
"Yeah but we spoke with Dana Stewarts mother. And Dana was the first one to be killed, plus she just got to the wrong place. She wasn't murdered by any friends, but by some strangers."  
Abby looked at Tony, "Then maybe you should talk to our victims parents?"  
"Gibbs and I were there already", McGee answered, "Her parents were only shocked and had no idea who could've possibly done that to their daughter. Also, they had no idea how a connection to Dana Stewart was involved."  
"Okay, so that won't help us either..." Tony sighed.

"Listen, Kate..." Gibbs almost whispered, followed by a soft nod from Kate, showing the special agent that he got her full attention, "I want you to watch over him and try to get to him."  
"Okay, but... why me?"  
Gibbs tilted his head a little and gave her a look that the answer should be clear.  
"Gibbs?"  
He sighed, "Because you two are very close."  
"So are you."  
"Yes, but he likes you more."  
Kate blushed a little, "That's ridiculous..."  
"It's the truth."  
"Really? How would you know anyway?"  
"It's not that hard to see, Kate."  
"So you want me to use his trust in me to"  
Gibbs interrupted her, "You won't use his trust in you. We're trying to help him, Kate. Don't forget that."  
He was right. And she did want to know what was going on.  
"Well, I was planning on asking him again anyways. So... I guess we both want the same."  
Gibbs smiled, "Good." Of course he asked Kate to try to find out what was going on because Gibbs knew that Tony liked her a lot. He knew that Tony would be honest with him, but at the same time it was definitely easier for Tony to open up to Kate. For some reason, whatever it was that was going on with Tony lately, had something to do with Kate. Which was the reason why Gibbs wanted Kate to ask Tony about it. Plus, the two of them needed some pushing from Gibbs.  
"Do you think he'll be alright again?"  
"I think there is something he is dealing with right now and maybe there is something he has to figure out. Whatever it is, he will figure it out, Kate. And I think your help is gonna give him strength", Gibbs answered.  
"I don't know about this, Gibbs..."  
"He needs you now, Kate. I can see it."  
"Well... you are Gibbs. I guess you are right."  
A smile appeared on Gibbs' face, "Good."  
"But I can't guarantee you that he will tell me what's going on."  
Gibbs nodded, "The way I know DiNozzo, he'll try to figure it out on his own. Just don't give up and show him that you want to help him. It won't be too hard."  
"We'll see about that."  
"You protected the president, Kate. I don't think it will be too hard for you to help DiNozzo."  
"I'll give my best, Gibbs", Kate reassured him with a small smile on her face.  
"That's what I wanted to hear."

**Gibbs is playing cupid! So stay tuned for the upcoming chapters ;-)**


	11. Chapter 11

**New chapter, yay! Once again: Thanks for all the reviews :-) I do NOT own NCIS or its characters. **

_Everything was dark. He felt a strong wind striking his body, but he didn't feel coldness, no, it was the opposite. It was so warm. For a moment he heard nothing, but in the next second, he heard a loud pounding. What was it? It was so fast, and so loud. He was shaking. And then he realized - it was his heart that was pounding! But why was it so loud? He noticed that his eyes were closed. He tried to open them, they were so heavy! But then he was able to open them. Yet, he couldn't see where he was. There was something soft in his hands, and he was holding it tightly. It was hair. Dark hair. It was dark at first but then it suddenly got warmer and it turned red. Blood. He realized. He was kneeling next to a body! Out of sudden, Kate's lifeless face was in front of him._  
He raised up in bed within a second, sweat running down his face, "Kate!" It was just a nightmare. It was, in fact, reality. But it was a reality that became his biggest nightmare. He was dreaming of her almost every night. There were nights in which he could sleep normally and peacefully, and others in which he was dreaming of her death, reliving the moment when he realized that she was dead, gone forever. Normally, Tony wouldn't have those nightmares that often. Not every night anyway. Just once in a while, maybe every month, sometimes once a week. But since he got into this world with Kate he got reminded of her much more, making him scared that he would see her die again. Now he had those nightmares every night.  
Tony turned around on his side to see the clock standing next to his bed. 6 a.m. and that on a Saturday!, he thought with annoyance.  
But falling back to sleep seemed like the wrong way of handling the situation, since he would then have another nightmare. Tony eventually got out of bed and walked in the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water to drink it. His throat was dry like the Sahara.  
"Ooh! You look like you fell into a pool", he heard a voice saying. And he knew whose voice it was.  
Rolling his eyes, he turned around to face the creepy, mysterious old man, "You again."  
"Sounds like someone didn't get enough sleep", the old man teased Tony.  
"It's six in the morning of a Saturday, what do you think?"  
"I think that's the perfect time for a workout."  
"A workout? You kidding me? Just tell me who you are and what you want and leave. You're worse than those nightmares."  
The man sighed, "I am here to help you. In fact, you are here to help yourself. So in fact we are both here to help you. You see?"  
"Not really", Tony replied, furrowing his brow.  
"I know. I am aware of all your knowledge", the man grinned.  
"You're talking nonsense! And you are way too happy and awake for this time."  
"Tony, there is something you need to realize. This is why you are here."  
Tony looked at him with a serious expression on his face, "And what is it that I should realize?"  
"You have to find out yourself. And only you can find out."  
"So you don't know why I'm here either?"  
"Oh I do", the man shrugged as if it was logical, "But I can't tell ya. This case you are working on... It's really interesting, don't ya think?"  
Tony tilted his head, "You know who the murderer is?"  
"I know a lot, everything in fact. But I cannot tell you what I know. This is all a big puzzle. But it is your puzzle. You are the only one who has the pieces and with that the only one who can solve it."  
"That case isn't about me though! Think about the family of the Petty Officer, they need to know who killed her daughter. If you know who the murderer is, tell me."  
"The case has more to do with you than you might think. There's one little detail you have to know and then you will know the entire story. It's not that hard."  
Tony was annoyed by the mysterious man. Couldn't he just tell him what was going on? "So you just keep on popping up in my apartment, brag about how you know everything and then leave again? What for? Either tell me what's going on or leave me alone!"  
"No."  
"What?"  
"I said no. Huh, and there I am, thinking your ears work perfectly fine..."  
"You think this is funny?" Tony angrily asked.  
"I don't think."  
"I can tell", Tony meant annoyed.  
The old man shook his head, "You're a special agent, solving cases. I think you can also solve this."  
"Why can't you just tell me what this is all about and leave me alone?"  
"Because there is something you need to realize. This is why you are here, can't you see?" The old man stepped closer to Tony, only inches away from him. He was so serious, what was it with his man? "There are things about ourselves that we keep inside and we don't want to admit our feelings. But sometimes you have to open up. It's time for you to be honest with yourself. You can't live with a lie, this is why you are here."  
Tony relaxed a little. Maybe this man was a creep, but maybe he was honest. How else could Tony have ended up in this different world? "But I am honest with myself. In fact I am honest with everybody, which is why some people say I am annoying for always saying what I did on my weekend!"  
"That is one way of being honest, telling each other the things we do. But there is the other way of being honest."  
"Another way of being honest?" Tony got curious and all serious. For once he did not find this old man nuts, not at all. Just what was the deal with that guy?  
The man nodded, "The other way is telling people what's on your inside. Everyone can talk about the things they did on their weekend. Telling each other about their feelings on the other hand, that is something not everyone can do. Not those obvious feelings. But the ones we keep inside. The ones we don't want to talk about."  
"The ones we... don't want to talk about?"  
The man giggled, "Yup."  
"With that teenage girl giggle you just got me back to the you're and old creepy man thought", Tony admitted.  
"Think of me however you want. In the end, I'm gonna make sense to you."  
"How? You won't even tell me your name and you just appear and disappear in my apartment without any warnings."  
The old man shrugged, "Stop thinking like that!"  
"Like what?" Tony didn't understand.  
"As soon as you see something being different than the way you are used to it, you don't accept it! That is exactly what is wrong with people. You should be more open."  
"But you can't just keep appearing and disappearing. Have I gone mad? Am I insane? You're like a bad dream or something."  
"See, this is exactly what I am talking about."  
"What do you expect me to do? I'm not a little guy who believes in everything", Tony explained.  
"I didn't say you have to believe everything. I only said that you should open up some more."  
Tony didn't exactly knew what to say anymore. That man was so mysterious and Tony had no idea if he should believe him or not. His gut told him the man was not out of his mind. But thinking about the things he said, Tony got more confused by every passing second. Just what was it Tony had to figure out? He didn't know. But he did know that he had to figure it out on his own. Because it was something about him. Something deep down inside of him, hidden. And who knew how deep it was hidden and how hard it was to find? There was still a lot of time needed until Tony found whatever he was supposed to find.

**Confused much? Yes? No? Okay, anyway. Your thoughts on that old man? And what do you think is Tony supposed to figure out? **


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks again for all the reviews, I really love reading what you think this is all about :-) Still, I do NOT own NCIS.**

**Enjoy reading the chapter!**

In the afternoon, there was a knock on Tony's door. Whoever it is, it's not that old creep, since he would just appear out of nowhere.., Tony thought while walking over to the door.  
"Hi", Tony surprisingly said after he opened the front door.  
"Hey", Kate greeted him with a smile on her face.  
Tony quickly made space for Kate to enter before the two went into the living room.  
"So, what are you doing here?" Tony asked after sitting down on the sofa, next to the brunette. It made him happy that she would come to him out of nowhere. The time she was alive, the only time he could remember with her since he wasn't from this world, she would never come visiting him. He liked to see that if she was still alive, they would be closer than they were in the normal world. Which made him sad at the same time, seeing what he was missing in his world.  
"Just checking on how you are doing", she honestly answered.  
Tony nodded and a small smile came on his face while he looked into her beautiful eyes, "I'm good, thank you."  
"You look like you haven't had much sleep though", Kate noticed, followed by a short nod from Tony.  
"Yeah, I haven't slept well, but how can you still see that it's four p.m.!"  
"I guess it's time for me to be honest: I'm a special agent of the NCIS."  
Tony put on a shocked face, "Oh no, darling, how could you have possibly kept such a secret from me?"  
Kate and Tony giggled for a moment, but the happiness soon faded from Tony when he, once again, remembered that if he would ever return to his world he wouldn't have anyone who was so close to him, who knew him so well, who he could laugh with so freely.  
The brunette looked at him with concern, "Tony..."  
"Yeah?" He tried to act normal, but of course Kate was able to look through him.  
She looked at him for a few seconds before starting to speak, "What's wrong, Tony?"  
"Wh- Nothing", Tony put a smile on, but again, Kate didn't buy it. She knew when something was wrong with Tony, she knew him far too long not to.  
"Something has been on your mind ever since you woke up in the hospital. There's something you're not telling anyone", Kate made a short pause, "What is it?"  
Tony gave her a small smile, "It's nothing important."  
"Yes it is."  
"How can you be so sure?"  
"Because you're usually not like this. Usually you're more cheerful and open. Now you're rather tired and closed."  
Tony felt his heart beating in his chest. He didn't mean to lie to her, but he couldn't tell her. Especially not as long as he didn't understand the entire situation himself, "No one can be happy twenty-four-seven, Kate."  
"I didn't say that."  
"Sometimes people are unhappy, okay?"  
"Yes, but whatever it is I can help you..."  
"You can't help me", Tony interrupted her.  
Kate was upset. Now they were arguing, just because she was worried about him. Couldn't he leave his ego be for once and let someone listen? "How can you be so sure?"  
"Because this has nothing to do with you", Tony argued.  
"Than what is this about?"  
Tony relaxed a little before answering, "I don't know."  
"What does that mean, you don't know?"  
"It means that I have no idea what's going on right now, okay? And I didn't tell anyone about what's going on because I have no idea. So just leave it."  
"I would leave it, if I didn't care. But I do."  
Tony sighed, "There's something I have to figure out. It's just that I have no idea what it is I have to figure out and how."  
"Then how do you know that there is something you need to figure out? And don't say it's complicated", Kate meant, pointing her finger out.  
"Well first of all, it is complicated. And second of all... I just do."  
"I really don't get it."  
"Me neither. But I'll let you know as soon as I figured it out."  
For a moment, the room was filled with silence before Kate insecurely asked, "Do you trust me, Tony?"  
"What? Of course I do", Tony answered in surprise of the question, "Why do you ask?"  
"I just... I just didn't know if you.."  
"If I didn't trust you enough to tell you the truth?" Tony interrupted her, giving her a warm and soft smile, "I am telling you the truth and I do trust you, a lot. And I need you to trust me too."  
Kate swallowed, "Okay."

It was hard for him. He wanted to tell someone about everything so badly. And he knew the person he wanted to tell the most was no other than Kate. But at the same time he knew he couldn't tell anyone. No one would believe him anyway, so why bother making them think that he was some psycho?

It was evening when Kate left. Closing the door and turning around, Tony saw no other than the old man.  
"What are you doing here again?" Tony asked, annoyance in his voice.  
The man smiled, "Isn't it sweet of her?"  
"What do you mean?" Tony sighed.  
"She cares for you. And she wants to help you."  
"Yeah well, she can't really help me though so who cares?"  
"You do."  
"I don't", Tony lied. Of course he cared. Of course it made him happy to see that she cared for him.  
The man simply continued smiling, "See, I told you that you can only figure it out by yourself, but I never said that you can't let anyone help you."  
"She can't help me if it's something that's deep down inside of me."  
"You're too restricted, once again", The man mentioned, rolling his eyes, "Open up, Tony!"  
"You're just not making any sense, don't you see that? You say I have to figure it out on my own, since it's something that only I could figure out because it's hidden inside of me. Then you tell me Kate can help me, this is really not making any sense. The entire situation is not making sense!"  
"Sense, sense, sense! That's all you care about. When you finally let this sense trash behind, you'll have more luck figuring everything out."  
"What if I don't want to figure it out?"  
The eyes of the man widened, "Oh, you want to figure it out. And you need to."  
"Why?"  
"Because", the man started, "There are things unsolved. You go to work everyday and solve the problems of others. Now it's time that you solve your own problems."  
"I don't have problems..."  
"Unsolved business. Call it however you want to. In the end, there is something inside of you you need to deal with. You can't, but you have to. This is why I brought you here. You need to open your eyes."  
"They are open. So now what?"  
"That's the thing - you opened them to the obvious things, the things everyone can see. Now open them wider, to the things hidden. Open up."  
Open up, this was what the old man kept telling him. But to what? He didn't know. What had he got into? Whatever it was, he knew he had Kate by his side, even though she knew less than he did. Tony wasn't even sure if he wanted to figure it out. Because maybe figuring out whatever there was to figure out would bring him back to the world he came from. Without Kate. That was what he kept thinking. There was a world without Kate. And unfortunately, it was the world he belonged to. Even though he felt better in this one. For some reason, he felt like everything had something to do with Kate. Just what was it?

**And Tony is still clueless about the entire situation... will he ever figure it out? Keep on reading :-)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry to keep you waiting. But here it is, the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it :-) As always, I do NOT own NCIS.**

On Monday evening, Tony and Kate drove to the house of Dana Stewart's boyfriend. When they came into NCIS, McGee told them that he found out that she had one and that that boyfriend might know who could have killed Petty Officer Jenna Parker and why. The boyfriend of Dana Stewart was one Josh Anderson who lived together with Dana Stewart, which made the special agents guess that he also knew Jenna Parker.

"NCIS, special agents DiNozzo and Todd, can we come in?" Tony asked after introducing him and Kate.  
Josh Anderson nodded before letting the two in, going into the living room with them, "Is this about Jenna?" The man asked, "Dana's mother told me about it."  
"Were you and the Petty Officer friends?"  
He nodded again, "Yes we were. Dana, Jenna and I were always hanging out. Dana and Jenna knew each other first so after Dana's death, Jenna was the only thing of Dana that was left for me."  
Kate looked at him, "Jenna Parker was kidnapped before she was killed, do you know why?"  
Josh shrugged, "I don't know. I don't even know why she was killed. She was a nice person, had a lot of friends."  
"Do you know who could've killed her, Josh?" Tony asked.  
"If she had any enemies, she never told me about them. I really wish I knew, but I don't."  
"We found a photo on the crime scene which shows Dana Stewart. We think it belongs to the murderer. Did Dana Stewart and Jenna Parker have the same friends? Or did Dana have a friend that might have been jealous of Jenna?"  
"They did have the same friends. But we were all a group of friends, and as far as I know there was no one who would be jealous of anyone or even have a reason to be. We actually all spend our time together. Of course Dana and I were sometimes alone together, but then someone would have to be jealous of me, not Jenna", the boyfriend of Dana Stewart explained.  
Tony nodded while writing the information down. He kept thinking about the old man telling him that if he figured one thing about the situation out, he would solve the entire case. The problem was that for now it seemed like they were stuck in a dead end. And what did the case have to do with Tony anyway?

"This is awful. I feel like we're never going to solve this case", Kate complained after the two agents left the house.  
"Don't say that Kate, we'll solve it. I'm pretty sure of it", Tony reassured her.  
Kate looked at him, "Is there something you know that I don't?"  
He looked into her eyes, "Of course I know things that you don't. Just not about the case. Nonetheless, we can solve it."  
"You're so motivated?"  
"Exactly the way we should be", Tony grinned. Kate decided not to worry too much about it. At least he wanted to solve the case. Whatever it was he wasn't telling her, if he had a goal he wanted to reach, he would reach it. And for some reason, Kate was pretty sure that if he solved the case, he would feel much better.  
"So, what do you suggest us to do about it?"  
Tony thought about it for a few seconds while he and Kate sat down in Tony's car, "Well, let's think about what we know so far. We have the Petty Officer, who was kidnapped and then killed. Her best friend who was killed before and whose photograph appeared on the Petty Officer's crime scene."  
"Tony, we got nothing", Kate gently admitted.  
"No, you see it the wrong way, Kate. We have a connection. Okay, they won't share the same murderer, but we can assume that the Petty Officer's murderer also knew Dana Stewart. That means that it was probably no one Petty Officer Parker knew from work, since the two friends didn't work together."  
"Alright, but then who was it?"  
Tony shrugged, looking into Kate's eyes, "I would guess it was a friend."  
"So you want to list all their friends?"  
"I don't know. But it's not like we got nothing", Tony explained himself.  
Kate nodded in agreement, "Okay, okay."  
"What?"  
She sighed before admitting, "You're right."  
Tony grinned, showing her that he was just teasing her. Therefore, he had to feel her fist against his shoulder, "Alright, I'll drive, before you kill me in my own car!"  
Kate grinned while she watched him drive. He was so sure about solving this case. It made her feel safe and calm to know that he would not give up like that. Of course it was their job to solve cases, but there were unsolved cases. When one was working on a hard case that seems to be left unsolved, a motivated person was like the light at the end of a tunnel. Kate always knew that Tony was a great special agent, and she had to smile when she got reminded of that again.  
Her eyes wandered to his hand. Embracing the steering wheel tightly, his muscles showed through his shirt more.  
"What?" Tony asked, feeling her eyes on him.  
"Nothing", Kate shook it off, "Just tired."  
He looked at her for a second before he focused on the street in front of him again, "I still have some Chinese food at my place, do you wanna come over and have some with me?"  
She nodded, "Sounds good."

When the two arrived in Tony's apartment, he went in the kitchen to prepare the food while Kate sat down on the sofa.  
He was happy about the amount of time he suddenly spend with Kate. Even though he didn't know why he was in that other world, he took it as a second chance and didn't ever regret it. Tony couldn't be happier. Sure, the case was hard to solve, there was a strange man that kept appearing and disappearing, but he saw Kate again, alive. He was able to talk to her, to look into her eyes that were full of joy. Full of life. Tony would never be able to forget her eyes after the bullet hit her head, taking all the life out of her. "Here you go", Tony meant, placing the plates on the table in front of Kate before sitting down next to her.  
"Thanks, I'm starving", Kate let him know before taking a bite.  
He grinned at the sight of her before starting to eat himself.  
"You know... you are really good at warming food up, I gotta give you that!"  
Tony nodded, "Finally someone that appreciates my skills."  
"I just didn't want you to feel unloved", Kate meant with a playful smirk on her face.  
"Well thanks, cause now it's all warm around my heart and I hear angels sing", Tony ironically answered. What Kate didn't know was that it was halfway true. He was feeling warm around his heart. With her by his side, he would always feel that way.  
"I must be out of this world to have the power to make you so satisfied."  
Tony ironically nodded, "Yes, and I have to be the king of the country because... well, I'm awesome."  
"Sure sure."  
"Did I just hear irony in your voice?"  
"If your ears work perfectly fine, then yes."  
"I can't believe you, Kate. You're such a meanie."  
She shook her head, "Don't forget, I'm the one that complimented you on your undiscovered warming food up skill."  
"Yeah, you're right. How could I forget about that?" Tony grinned before he took the plates back in the kitchen. He put them in the dishwasher before walking back in the living room. He stood still as he saw that Kate lay on the sofa, asleep. A smile crossed his face as he walked closer. She looked so peaceful. He couldn't wake her up just like that. Tony decided to change into his pajama before he carefully carried her on one side of his bed before lying on the other side. Even though it was different than he ever imagined it, but this was the first time she slept in his bed.

**That's it for now. Stay tuned for the next chapters cause there is going to be more Tate. So wait for the next chapter :-)**


	14. Chapter 14

**New chapter! Hope you'll enjoy it :-) I do NOT own NCIS.**

The bright rays of the morning sun warmed her face up, awakening her from her long sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, confused about the place she was. She looked around. It took her a few seconds before she recalled what happened the last evening and remembered that she was with Tony. Kate concluded that she must have fallen asleep. But the day before was Monday, Kate realized that she was too late to work. Within seconds she rose from the bed. The brunette was just about to leave the room when she ran against Tony, who was about to walk in his bedroom.  
"Oh, Sleeping Beauty decided to wake up! I was just about to give her a kiss so that she would awake from her long sleep", he greeted her with a teasing grin on his face.  
"Ha ha, Tony, very funny. But not as funny as the fact that we're late too work! It's Tuesday in case you forgot!"  
Tony calmly nodded, "Don't worry, I got a call from Gibbs earlier, he said we shouldn't come to work today."  
"Why so?"  
The agent shrugged, "I don't know. I guess he's mad that we're at a dead end with the case?"  
"Okay, but the way I know Gibbs he doesn't give up."  
"He probably has a plan. Whatever, it doesn't bother me."  
Kate gave him a sighing look, "Really? Because I remember that you're the one being crazy over this case the entire time, saying that we will solve it and..."  
"We will. But I trust Gibbs and if he has a plan and feels like we should take a day away from the case it's fine by me", Tony interrupted her.  
"I guess you're right."  
"Of course I am. So, are you hungry?"  
"Starving", she corrected him.  
"And what would you like to eat?"  
"Let me think... a huge cake with cream and roses on it, a huge chocolate fountain, lobster sounds good too, umm... also I'd like a burger, Pasta and... a light salad."  
Tony laughed, "Dream on."  
"Alright. I don't care, I'll take a shower at my place and then I'll come back here and in the meantime, you make me tasty breakfast."  
"I think I can handle something."  
"Good", with that, Kate disappeared through the front door.  
Tony looked after her before he went in the kitchen and started to prepare the breakfast. He decided to make pancakes because they were easy and quickly made.

At her own place, Kate quickly went into the shower. When she was done, she quickly made her hair and makeup and brushed her teeth before she changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater. As soon as she was done she took her car and drove back to Tony's apartment.

While the pancakes where in the pan, Tony made the table ready and turned the radio on to have some music in the background. Earlier he wasn't lying. It didn't bother him that Gibbs told them to take their day off, because that gave Tony and Kate time to spend together. And who knew when Tony would leave this place? He for sure did not know, and he knew he would spend as much time with Kate as possible.  
Just when he was done making the pancakes and putting the plates on the table, there was a knock on the door.  
"Come in", Tony called before he heard the door open and close.  
"I hope you made something good", the sound of a lovely voice came in Tony's ears, making him turn around.  
A smile appeared when he saw Kate coming closer, "I hope you like it", he said, stepping away from the table to show her the pancakes he made.  
She nodded, "As long as you made them good."  
"As promised", Tony replied before he pulled one of the chairs back, symbolizing her to sit down.  
"Wow, Tony, I didn't know you could be such a gentleman", Kate exaggerated complimented him.  
He grinned before sitting down across from Kate, "I always told you that I'm good with women."  
"Sure, that's why you're still unmarried, right?"  
"Ha ha."  
"Didn't I already told you that you got target fixation when it comes to women?"  
"I can't believe you still remember that..."  
Kate grinned, "Well, how else could I be your worst nightmare?"  
Tony didn't reply to that, because she in fact was his worst nightmare, literally. After all, Tony suffered from those nightmares about her death ever since she was killed.  
"Is everything okay?"  
Tony nodded and put a smile on, "Of course. As long as you like the pancakes, everything's fine."  
"Then don't worry, cause they're really good."  
"I'm Italian, of course I can cook."  
"You're pathetic."  
"I'll take that as a compliment."  
"If it makes you feel good, go ahead."  
Tony grinned, "I don't think that I'll continue making you food with that attitude!"  
Kate put her index finger to her lips, symbolizing him that she wouldn't tease him anymore.  
"You see, doesn't this feel way better?"  
"No", she shook her head.  
When they were done with eating, the two brought the now empty plates back in the kitchen, where they immediately cleaned them. Until now Tony hadn't realized that they worked perfectly fine together even in everyday life. It came so naturally to both of them to just be together, decide who has to do what, to eat together, clean together. All these things were important and it worked for them.  
When they were done and the entire place was clean again, Tony turned the radio out while Kate washed her hands in the kitchen. Kate turned the water off and went to join Tony in the living room when she suddenly stumbled over something. Tony turned around in the right moment, catching her in his arms.  
"Better watch where you're going", Tony smiled, still having his hands around her.  
"Good idea", she nodded.  
For a moment, the time somehow stopped. The two looked into each others eyes.  
Slowly, Tony's face came closer to hers, and hers came closer to his. They closed their eyes just before their lips met. It wasn't like it was the first time Tony kissed someone. But this time he kissed the person he wanted to kiss for a long time, for ages! He pulled her closer, feeling her hands wandering up, laying down around his neck. He had been waiting for this moment for so long. For years he thought that this would never happen. He already lost all his hope. And then he got here, got a second chance. He used that chance. And it was definitely worth it.  
After a few seconds they moved apart, but their bodies were still touching, their faces only a few inches away from each other.  
A small smile appeared on Tony's face, "Kate I..." He had been waiting for this moment to come for so long, he couldn't possibly back away now, "I love you."  
Kate looked down, slowly backing away from him, turning away to not see his face.  
Tony not only felt the time standing still but also his heart breaking. Did it mean what he thought it meant? "I just... wanted to tell you that for so long. It's okay if you..."  
"It's not that", she quietly interrupted him.  
Tony felt relief. He stepped closer to her, gently turning her to him, again, only a few inches away from her face, "What else would it be?"  
"Did you forget?"  
"Forget what?"  
"It."  
"Could you be a little bit more specific about what it is?"  
Kate sighed, "The damn rule twelve, idiot."  
Tony finally understood, "Well... actually, the rule says that we're not allowed to sleep together, not that we're not allowed to be together."  
She gave him a serious look, "Tony."  
"I know. But I meant it, Kate. I love you. And I want to be with you. I respect Gibbs and his rules and I know that he just doesn't want coworkers to come together and break up again to work together, but... this probably sounds cheesy, but I want to be together. I've never been in love with someone as much as I am with you and I like that. And I'm not letting anyone, not even Gibbs, stopping me from being with you."  
Kate was speechless. No one has ever said such a sweet thing to her. Without looking away, she took one of his hands, "I love you too, Tony."  
A big smile came on Tony's face, followed by the same expression on Kate's face. "Listen, I'll talk to Gibbs, okay? And if he's still against it, fine. But this is the best day of my life and I won't let Gibbs tell me to not be happy."  
She nodded, "Okay", before she kissed him.  
"I could definitely get used to that", Tony said, making Kate giggle.  
Tony knew that talking to Gibbs would not be easy since he already had that talk once about E.J. But maybe this time Gibbs would approve. It was definitely worth it and Tony wouldn't give up easily.

**I hope you liked it! Next chapter will come soon :-)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Finally a new chapter, I hope you enjoy it! :-) I do NOT own NCIS.**

Tony and Kate decided to act as if nothing happened when they returned to work the next day. After work, Tony would go to Gibbs' and talk to him in private instead of having a short conversation at work that they wouldn't end anyways.  
The night before work, Tony lay in his bed, imagining different scenarios of the following evening. Thinking about it he realized, that he already came quite far - After years of believing that he would never see Kate again because she was killed Tony somehow came into a different universe in which Kate was still alive. He slowly got used to it and eventually took his second chance to admit his feelings for her. And she felt the same way. His heart was still beating over the thought that all this time, she had loved him as well. Even though he wasn't too certain about whether or not she had those exact same feelings before she died in the world he came from. Nonetheless, Tony was more than happy that he finally got together with the girl of his dreams. All this time, in which Kate was dead, his heart was broken. And now, for the first time, it felt like it was finally healing. Tony would go through everything to keep his relationship with Kate. Not even Gibbs would ruin this for him. He still didn't figure out why he came into this different world, but he didn't feel the need to find out. Sure, he was curious what brought him there, but the only important thing to him was that he was with Kate now. All he was hoping was that he wouldn't go back to the normal world again, a world without Kate. Just how was he supposed to figure out how he wouldn't return to the other world? The old man for sure wouldn't tell him, since he wouldn't even tell him what brought him to the world he was in at the very moment.

Nothing special happened at work. There were practically no clues leading to the murderer, and Tony feared that talking to Gibbs after work might not be a good idea seeing as the case went on Gibbs' nerves a lot. But he would talk to him anyways. Nothing would stop him.

It was afternoon when Gibbs send Tony to Abby's lab to bring her the cell phone of the Petty Officer which Tony and McGee found in the Petty Officer's apartment earlier that day.  
Loud music came into his ears as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, causing him to yell when he entered the lab, "Abs!"  
Abby turned around without a smile on her face. Instead, there was a quite serious, more annoyed expression on her face, "Tony", she said in a monotone voice.  
"Is... something wrong?" He asked confused.  
"Don't lie to me, Tony", the scientist sounded disappointed.  
"Wh-what have I done?"  
She gave him an angry look, "You."  
"Me?"  
She enjoyed that torture way too much, causing her expression to soften, "You finally did it", she cheerfully explained her behavior before hugging him.  
He hugged her back, but was still confused, "What?"  
Abby looked at him before slapping the back of his head.  
"Ouch! Just tell me what I told whom, Abby!"  
She sighed, yet a happy smile came on her face, "You finally told Kate that you love her."  
Tony was speechless and blushed a little, "Well I... uh... how do you know?"  
Abby rolled her eyes, "In case you forgot: She's my best friend, do you think she could keep such a secret from me?"  
"I guess... not?"  
She rolled her eyes again, "I'm so happy for you."  
"Thanks", he nodded, slowly stopping to be confused.  
"So, what are you doing here?"  
Tony handed her the cellphone, "McGee and I found her cell phone, Gibbs wants you to go through the caller list to see whether someone recently called her."  
"Before she was kidnapped?"  
Tony nodded.  
"Okay", Abby and Tony walked to her computer and she connected the phone with it, opening the callers list, "Well, she got quite the calls after she was kidnapped."  
"I guess that would be logical, after all no one knew that she was kidnapped for sure."  
Abby nodded in agreement, "And before that there aren't that much calls. I wouldn't really say that any of these are suspicious."  
"That would support our theory about the murderer being someone she knew."  
"Yes, but this doesn't help us either."  
Tony gave her a serious look, "Gibbs won't want to hear that."  
"I know but there is nothing we have. Just nothing. We don't have DNA or a weapon or a suspicious person that kept calling her. Nor do we have anyone who would have a reason to kill her."  
"All we do have is this photo..."  
"But it doesn't prove anything either. If we knew why she was killed or what the murderer's problem was, we would find out who he is."  
"Okay, let's think about what we know about him: He probably knew both, Petty Officer Jenna Parker and Dana Stewart. For some reason he tied her up to a chair before killing her."  
"And he returned to the crime scene for some reason and shot you. I guess he was panicked", Abby added.  
Tony nodded, "Seeing as he had her kidnapped before he killed her, he wanted to torture her for some reason so he must have been either crazy or really mad about something."  
"Probably both", Abby guessed.  
"Though it doesn't seem as if she had ruined anyone's life..."  
"But if her murderer is crazy as in psycho crazy, it's possible that he had her confused with someone or made something up."  
Tony nodded, "I had the same thought, but that makes it even harder to find her murderer."  
"I'll check the rest of the phone, maybe there is something suspicious."  
"Go ahead but you won't find anything. That guy kept his plan a secret until he kidnapped her. I go tell Gibbs about our suggestion now", Tony meant before leaving.

After Tony told Gibbs and the rest of the team about Abby and his' theory, Gibbs nodded, "Yeah that also came to my mind already."  
"But it makes it even harder to find the murderer", Tony added.  
"Assuming that her murderer knew her and that he wanted to torture her for some reason leads us to the theory that it's someone she used to have some sort of relationship with", Kate summed the thoughts of everyone up.  
"Like whom? Ex-boyfriend? Ex-friend? Someone from work?" McGee asked.  
"I don't think it was someone she knew from work", Kate meant.  
Gibbs looked at her curiously, "Why so?"  
Kate looked at him, hiding her surprise about Gibbs asking her that, "Well because if someone wanted to torture her and we assume that she did something to them before it would be in her records. And there is nothing suspicious in her records."  
Tony nodded, "And even if her murderer did make something up it they would have to have a reason for that. Either way it would be in her records."  
"I came to the same conclusion. Now all we gotta do is check all her ended relationships she had."

After work, Tony drove to his apartment to eat something before he drove over to Gibbs' house. As usual, Tony found his boss in the basement, where Gibbs was working on one of his boats.  
"What are you doing here to such a late hour, DiNozzo?" Gibbs greeted his colleague without taking his eyes off of the boat.  
Tony stepped down the last few stairs before he sat down in front of where Gibbs was standing, "There is something I want to talk to you about."  
"What would that be?"  
Tony stayed silent for a few seconds, going through the conversation in his head once more. At his apartment he already thought about different way to tell his boss, but now actually standing in front of him, his heart was pounding. Yet the thought of his future with Kate gave him the strength to come out with his statement, "Kate and I are... together."  
He looked at his boss who still only had eyes for his boat. There was a long silence between the two men.  
"I know this is breaking the rules", Tony broke the silence, "And I'm not here to get your permission for this because I don't need that. I know that you don't want us to break the rules but this is not just something I'll get over."  
"You know I could kick you two out of my team then", Gibbs meant, still only looking at his work.  
"I do know that, this is why I'm here. I love this job and if you think this is the right thing to do then go ahead and fire me."  
"What if it doesn't last? This is what the rule is for anyway."  
While Gibbs didn't take his eyes off the boat, Tony didn't stop looking at his boss, "But it won't be over. I know that's what everyone says when they're together with someone, but..."  
Gibbs took his eyes off the boat and instead looked at Tony seriously, "Then what if you two do break up? You can't be certain that it will last forever."  
Tony looked at him with all his confidence, "I can't say how long it will last or if we'll eventually break up, that's true. But Kate is not just someone I am attracted to. I love her. Not just since today or this week. I've been in love for her for the longest I can remember", stating this made him sad and a little desperate because for the first time in his life he told someone what he lost when Kate died, "I've never felt for someone the way I feel for her. It's not just some short romance or some confident relationship with her. And if you try to tell me that I don't love her or that it will fade away, than I don't know what love is."  
Gibbs smiled, leaving Tony confused, "Okay."  
"Wh-what?"  
Gibbs put his tools away and walked over to Tony, "Maybe my eyes aren't the best, Tony, but do you think I'm too blind to see the feelings you two have for each other? Because I'm not. Actually, I have been waiting for this conversation to come up."  
Tony was speechless, "You... knew we would come together?"  
Gibbs nodded, "I'm Gibbs, in case you forgot."  
"Right. You know everything... hey! Do you even know how scared I was when I came here? And now you're telling me you knew that this conversation would one day come up and you knew that you would approve of Kate and me?"  
Gibbs nodded again, "Yup."  
Other people would probably have been mad at him now, but Tony was happy. "Thanks, boss", Tony said before walking over to the stairs, ready to leave.  
"And by the way", Gibbs called after him, making Tony turn back around, "I wouldn't fire you. I'd just make your life hell."  
Tony grinned, "Good to know."  
Tony left, glad about the way their conversation went. He still remembered when he had this conversation with Gibbs about E.J._ So he knew that that wouldn't last. It's a good sign when Gibbs tells you that he believes in your relationship. I like this world more and more with every minute,_ Tony thought while driving back tho his own apartment.

**Yay, their conversation went well! But it's not happy ending yet...**


	16. Chapter 16

**A new chapter is there! I hope you will enjoy this next chapter :-) I do NOT own NCIS. Plus, thanks for all the reviews you guys are leaving all the time, they are always inspiring me to write another chapter. 3**

Everything was perfect. Tony finally got together with the person he had been in love with for a time that seemed like forever. The couple spend as much time together as possible. But the happiness was too good to be true - with every day Tony feared to be dragged back in the normal world. That was the most likely thing to happen since that was the world he was originally from.  
It was Friday evening when Tony sat in his apartment, looking at his watch. Twenty minutes until their date that night. He was so happy. Especially because they didn't need anything fancy and he didn't have to dress up or act differently. With Kate, Tony could be the way he was. And that was very important in a relationship. Plus, there was not a lot to do before their date. All he did was taking a shower, getting dressed and ordering pizza. When Kate had arrived, they would pick a movie together. That was it. A comfortable night.  
Just when Tony thought about how perfect everything suddenly got, he heard an annoyingly familiar voice, "You seem happy."  
Tony rolled his eyes and faced the old man, "What do you want?"  
The man sighed before he started to talk, "I know what you're thinking. 'Is this why I'm here?'. So, do you think that's the reason you came here?"  
Tony didn't answer immediately, "I don't know."  
"You don't know... you don't know! I didn't ask you a yes, no, I don't know question! It was simply a yes or no question."  
"But I don't know if that's the reason why I'm here. Even though I have to admit... it's highly unlikely that it's the actual reason", Tony's voice saddened.  
"How so?"  
Tony looked the man straight in the eyes, "I guess you would've told me by now. Plus... why would I be dragged into a different world when it's just about a relationship, right?"  
"You're seeing everything the wrong way."  
"What a compliment", Tony ironically replied.  
"Listen, boy. It is true that it would be quite ridiculous to show you how your life could be if you told her how you feel. But why not?"  
"Like I said before I guess you already would have told me if that was the actual reason for me being here."  
"To be honest, in the beginning I wasn't quite sure where this would lead us, yet now I gotta say that it's quite the fun for me to see you breaking your head over the reason that brought you here in the first place", the man grinned.  
"So you're doing this for your own amusement?"  
The old man shook his head, "You're mistaken. Once again, I might add."  
Tony rolled his eyes at the old man's comment but didn't reply anything so that the old man would simply continue talking.  
"You are beginning to understand, I can feel that. But you are too scared to see the truth. You've got to let go of that fear or you'll never realize what you are here for. And let me tell you... It is not for my amusement or that you can see your long lost love once again. It is something serious that you have to realize and have to be able to admit or you'll drive yourself crazy. Stop telling everybody lies, Tony. I know how it looks like inside of you and so do you. But you have to let it out. And for that you have to understand it yourself. This is why you are here. You just need to realize this one thing."  
Tony took some seconds before he answered, "How do I realize?"  
"That is for you to find out. But, even though it may seem stupid, it might help you to realize if you tell _her_."  
"Tell _her_? Are you nuts? I can't tell her, she'll think I'm completely psycho, and that, just shortly after she thought the very same about me just a few weeks ago! I can't tell her about her actually being dead. Not just because I don't want her to think that I'm crazy but because I don't want to see how someone reacts if they heard someone telling them that they are supposed to be dead", Tony angrily replied.  
The old man innocently raised his hands, "How you find out what brought you here is up to you. Just remember - it is not to torture you, only to help you."  
Tony was just about to reply something but there was a knock on the door.  
"It's me", he could hear a happy Kate from the hallway.  
Tony blinked a few times to come out of his conversation with the old man, "It's open."  
The door immediately opened and there she was, that beautiful woman with that beautiful smile on her face. She walked over to Tony and kissed him before looking at him with concern, "Is everything alright?"  
A small smile appeared on his face, "Yeah I'm just... still shocked about me being able to spend my time with this beautiful woman."  
She hugged him, making his heart beat faster. He put his arms around her, wishing that he could forever hold her tightly so that no one could ever take her away from him again.

An hour later, Tony and Kate sat in his living room, watching a movie. They already ate their pizza and now they were lost in the movie world. Or at least Kate was. Tony though was lost in his thoughts, thinking about the old man's words. Would it really be the only way to figure everything out if he told Kate? But what difference would it make anyway? After all, Kate didn't know that she is dead in the world Tony was actually from so there was no logical explanation of why she should be the key to understanding. Even though it was most likely that his appearance in that other world had something to do with her especially since she was alive in this world. Still, Tony couldn't make sense of the situation. From the first moment Tony realized he was in a world where Kate was alive, he asked himself what brought him here. And so far his only source was the old man, who didn't exactly helped him, but now Kate was supposed to help too? What did she know?

Kate suddenly turned off the tv, pulling Tony out of his thoughts. He looked at her confused, "What is it?"  
"You're not paying attention to the movie, Tony", Kate meant with concern in her voice.  
"Sorry, I just... I just saw the movie like a hundred times already. I guess I'm a little tired..."  
She shook her head, "You're lying. No matter how many times you've watched a movie you'd never get tired of it and you'd always tell me every little detail about it no matter what."  
"I know, it's just the case... its driving me crazy. We can't find the murderer."  
"That's not quite true."  
"What do you mean?"  
"It does drive you crazy but that's not quite what you're thinking about right now."  
Tony looked at her serious, "So you're a mind reader now?"  
"I've known you long enough to know when something's up, Tony, and now something is up. I'm not asking you to talk about what's bothering you but... I don't want to see you sad and if there is anything you need me to do I'll do it."  
Tony smiled a little. He was glad to hear that because he knew it was the truth, "Thanks, Kate. But I don't think that you could be much of a help right now. I mean you are... just by being here with me."  
"I hate bringing this up again, Tony, but since you've been shot you've been acting different. You don't have to play tough, you know. Are you sure you can do it by yourself?"  
Tony nodded, "I have to. It's just something about me that I have to understand and I can't have anyone help me."  
Kate softly placed her hand on his, "I love you, Tony. And I accept the decisions you make but no matter what you're dealing with, let me help you. You can't always reach your goal alone."  
"I would tell you, Kate. I really would. But there are two reasons why I don't. First, you wouldn't believe me, really. It would sound crazy if I told you and I wouldn't believe it myself cause I didn't believe it at first either. And second, I don't want you to know cause it's nothing someone should ever hear."  
"Well you haven't figured it out by yourself yet so my help won't hurt. And I don't care if I shouldn't hear it or not. I am hear for you and I always will be. That's all there is to say."  
Tony got up and walked a few steps away, "I don't think this is a good idea."  
Kate got up and walked up before stopped a step behind him, "Why don't you trust me?"  
Tony turned around, took a deep breath before quickly and without another thought, saying, "I do trust you but how does it sound when I tell you that I'm from a parallel universe where you were shot to death years ago which broke my heart and when I got shot I fell into a coma and when I woke up I've been in this universe where you are alive and there is this old man who keeps appearing and disappearing and he told me that there is a reason why I got here and I still don't know what it is and I still ask me what brought me here and right now I'm just so glad that I finally got to tell you that I love you and I now know that you love me to or at least I guess you do cause you told me so and now all I'm trying to do is figure out why I'm here and you want to help me which is nice but... this is complete nonsense and we both know that", Tony slowed down a little, "This is why I didn't tell you."  
There was silence between the two for a moment before Kate broke it, anger in her voice, "You simply could have said that you don't trust me you don't have to make up stupid excuses in which I'm dead just so you don't have to tell me that you don't trust me."  
"I'm not making anything up, it's the truth!"  
"This is not one of your stupid movies, Tony! And it's not funny!"  
"I'm not trying to be funny, I'm serious!"  
"Really? Cause it just sounds stupid to me. Everything what you just said sounds extremely ridiculous!"  
"You see? This is exactly what I was talking about! I knew you wouldn't believe me but you didn't believe me!"  
"Well because I thought you would trust me enough to tell me the truth, Tony!"  
"But it is the truth..."  
Kate paused for a second before calmly saying, "Just so you know. Unlike you, _I_ do trust you." After she finished her sentence she walked passed him and opened the door.  
But before she left, Tony said, "If you trust me so much, why don't you believe me?"  
The next thing he heard was the door closing after Kate left the door.  
And all he knew was that this did not help him realize what brought him in this world.

**Oh no! Is everything over now? What's going to happen next? That and much more in the next chapter :-) Hope you enjoyed!**


	17. Chapter 17

**New chapter for you guys :-) Thanks so much for all the reviews I got, I'm glad that you like the story! **

**I do NOT own NCIS or its characters. **

The next day, Tony woke up to the sound of the raining pattering on his bedroom window.  
As soon as he opened his eyes he remembered the last evening. At first everything seemed perfect, until he suddenly admitted everything to Kate. Now she was gone, mad at him and she would probably never talk to him again.  
Tony didn't want to think about that anymore because it made his stomach turn around, so he decided to get up. Pulling the blanket aside and sitting straight up in bed, Tony rubbed over his face to awake more. For a moment he just sat there, looking out of the window in front of him, watching the rain. It had something calming, seeing the raindrops drumming on the window. The world outside of the window looked gray. The heaven was covered in dark clouds, the houses were all dark inside, no light was switched on. The world looked so lonely. Was it because of what happened the night before? Was the loneliness of the world his imagination because he himself was lonely? Was the way we look at the world influenced by our feelings? Tony didn't know. But he did know that the weather at the very moment was portraying his mood perfectly.

She couldn't believe it. Why would he say such ridiculous things? From the moment he woke up in the hospital she felt that he was acting strange, but the last night was the final proof for her feelings. Just why did he tell her that absurd story? Was he imagining things? Or was he actually being serious about what he said? Kate didn't think so. Coming into another parallel universe to figure something out... that was impossible. She wanted to understand, she wanted to know why he was acting so weird. But at the same time she was too mad at him to face him. She didn't want to talk to him because she didn't want him to lie to her again. Maybe it was just some sort of trauma he went through after Tony had been shot and she shouldn't be too hard on him. He was probably just imagining things. Maybe he needed the case to be solved. Ever since Tony woke up in the hospital he tried to solve the case like a maniac. That wasn't just an act. Something was going on and she did want to help him. But a parallel universe... that seemed too ridiculous to be true. Those kind of things only happened in movies. But was it really that Tony simply watched too many movies? No, he wasn't insane. Tony did watch a lot of movies but that didn't make him crazy. She knew him too good for that. There was also no reason why he should make up another universe and tell her that she was killed in it. No matter how long Kate thought about it, she just didn't understand it. It didn't make sense and that drove her crazy. If only they got over with this case and could move on.

After Tony took a shower, got dressed and ate breakfast, he didn' know what to do so he simply stood in front of the window in the living room, watching the rain.  
"The weather sometimes shows what we can't... don't you think?"  
Tony didn't turn around. He didn't have to anyways because he saw the old man's reflection in the window, "Are you here to give me more tips that do everything but help me understand?"  
"Shouldn't you know her better than that?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Would you really say that she is the kind of person to believe in things like parallel universes?"  
Tony stayed silent for awhile, "No..."  
The old man nodded, "Exactly. You have to give her some time, Tony."  
"Isn't it more important to find out why I'm here?"  
"That decision is all yours."  
"I don't want to stay here anymore", Tony suddenly said.  
But the old man didn't seem surprised, "I thought you might say this. It's because you don't want to feel this way. Seeing her reaction yesterday turned your stomach around, didn't it?"  
"I'm not being chicken here or anything like that, but seeing her die", Tony looked out of the window, watching the rain for a few seconds before he continued to talk, "It hurt so much. I am more than glad to see that she is alright in this universe. But now I've ruined this life for her too, because I told her that she should be dead."  
"You're blaming yourself for her death", the old man stated.  
"I know I'm not the reason for her death, but I was standing right next to her. I was too blind to notice that Ari was on another roof and that he was about to shoot her. I could've saved her!"  
"It wasn't meant to be."  
Tears came up in Tony's eyes when he looked at the old man's reflection again, "Are you saying that she had to die?"  
"You didn't save her Tony. There is nothing you can do about it now."  
Tony sighed before he continued watching the rain, knowing that the old man disappeared once again.

It was raining and the sky was gray while Kate was sitting on her sofa, watching the raindrops falling down just like that. As much as she didn't want her and Tony to fight, and as much as she wanted to believe him, she just couldn't make sense of the situation. Was something like traveling through universes possible? Were those different universes even real? She trusted Tony but she never believed in those kind of things. Yet Tony knew this so why should he make fun of something like that? The brunette sighed while she leaned back on her sofa, trying to think of something else. She wouldn't find an answer anyways but at the same time there was nothing else that came to her mind right now. She just wanted everything to be alright again no matter what. Was it really that hard to be in a good relationship? Was it that one couldn't be happy or be in something to call a perfect relationship? At the moment that felt surreal. But maybe it was because it was Tony she was in love with. The often childish behaving, often immature man that probably knew every single movie and loved watching after women more than anything. Maybe it would have been easier if she had simply fallen in love with someone else. Someone rather ordinary. No, there was a reason she was in love with Tony. It wasn't just the way he was with her, but because of him. He was honest, casual, smart and he wasn't afraid of being himself. Still, believing him seemed hard.

Tony decided to stop thinking about the current situation too much. He tried to get some sleep even though it was only nine p.m. It felt like ages until Tony finally drifted to sleep.  
_She smiled. Kate had her beautiful smile on her face. But where was he? The place seemed familiar, but it gave him chills. There was something nasty about that place, Tony thought as he felt the cold wind striking through his hair. Tony felt the urge to turn away from Kate, looking in another direction. There was someone. Ari! Tony immediately realized where he was and what was going to happen next. He turned back to Kate to warn her, to push her down so she wouldn't get shot. But he couldn't move. Couldn't speak. The next he heard was the shot._  
Tony sat up straight in bed immediately, sweat running down his face. All this time that he had been in this universe he had never had that dream. Of course here he was able to say it was 'just a nightmare' but he knew better. Because it wasn't just a nightmare. It was reality chasing him, trying to remind him of the most life changing moment of his life over and over again.  
"Nightmares are some bad demons, huh?"  
Tony turned on the lamp next to his bed to see the old man. standing across the room, "I don't think she'll ever believe me..."  
"Life can do the craziest things to you."  
"Are you telling me that you're life?"  
The old man laughed, "I'm not life. But that's not important, is it?"  
"Right now... I don't know what is important..."  
"You want her to believe you. I know that it's hard on you. To have lived with these nightmares all those years in which she was gone and then suddenly seeing her again, pretending as if nothing ever happened to her."  
Tony nodded, "I didn't want to hurt her, but now I did by telling her exactly what I didn't want her to know."  
"It may seem wrong now, but it was the right decision."  
"I just wanna prove her that I was telling the truth. It's just that... I don't have any proof."  
"To prove the truth you don't need evidence. It takes trust to believe one another."  
"So she doesn't trust me?"  
"The question is, do you trust her?"  
Tony looked at him confused, "Of course I trust her, what kind of question is that?"  
"You have to trust her with the decisions she makes and the way she responds to things."  
Silence filled the room, "You mean I... shouldn't worry about whether she believes me or not?"  
The old man shrugged, "Your life is in your hands."

She waited and rang the door bell for the probably hundredth time now. Normally it would bother Kate to wait that long for someone to answer the door but she was too thoughtful in the moment to worry about this.  
"Kate", Rachel surprisingly greeted her little sister when she finally opened her door.  
"Can I come in?"  
Rachel immediately noticed that something was up so she stepped aside to let her little sister inside.  
The two women stepped inside the living room where they sat down on the sofa.  
"What is wrong, Kate?"  
"It's... hard to explain", Kate started as she looked down on the ground, "I just needed to be with someone."  
"Wait, wait, wait. Wasn't it just a few nights ago that you called me, extremely happy, telling me that you and this DiNozzo guy that you keep talking about got together? What happened", Rachel asked, seriousness in her voice.  
"I don't really know myself. It's just... complicated."  
"No, no, no, Kate. Don't just say it's complicated! If that guy did something to you then..."  
"Rachel", Kate softly interrupted her sister, "I don't want you to get angry with him."  
"Come on, Kate, what did he do to you?"  
Kate sighed not knowing how to tell her sister what happened without telling her what happened. She suddenly felt that it was a bad idea coming here, "I shouldn't have come here..."  
"Wait", Rachel said, stopping Kate from getting up, "If there is anything I can do for you, I'll do it."  
A small smile came on Kate's face, "Thanks. I just need to figure something out but I just don't know how. Tony... told me something and I don't know how to handle it. I mean I... it's something that sounds quite surreal and I just don't know if I can believe him", Kate finally looked into her sisters eyes.  
"You know I can't tell you whether you can believe him or not."  
"I know."  
"You should talk to him though."  
Kate nodded, "I know but I..."  
"No buts! You have to talk to him, problems don't solve themselves or else there would be no math."  
"But in math there is just one solution."  
"And several ways to get there. But the harder way is the saver one. You should take it", Rachel gently responded.  
Kate knew that her sister was right. Still, she was scared even though she didn't know what she was afraid of. Yet she knew that talking to Tony was the only way to solve things.

**This was more of a thoughtful chapter but don't think that it's over already, cause there is more to come so wait for the next chapter :-)**


	18. Chapter 18

**New chapter! Hope you'll enjoy :-) I do NOT own NCIS or its characters.**

Kate and Rachel said goodbye to each other before Kate made her way home through the rain which had gotten harder while she was at her sister's. Kate was lucky that she came with her car, but it was parked a few feet away so she had to walk through the rain anyways. Walking down the street, all she could hear was the rain falling down on the street. The rain got so loud, that she didn't even hear that somebody was walking up behind her. When a strong hand touched her shoulder she wanted to scream, but another hand quickly covered her mouth to stop her from screaming.

Tony sat in his apartment, thinking about the old man's words. Should he really listen to what he said and just give her some time, letting her handle everything? Of course he didn't want to rush her, but leaving their future in her hands only seemed like the wrong way to handle things. Shouldn't he at least try to save their relationship?

Her eyes were covered by hands before she got pushed to a car. Before she got pushed into it, the guy behind her put a mask in front of her eyes so she couldn't see. Shortly after that, the car stopped and she got dragged up a lot of stairs. Kate knew she was on some roof because the rain got louder and raindrops hit her entire body. She couldn't see anything, but she still felt the strong hand holding her hands together behind her back, "Who are you and what do you want?"  
"I don't want anyone to interfere", Kate heard a young man calling out, desperation in his voice.  
Though she couldn't identify the voice because of the loud rain falling down around her the voice sounded familiar but she couldn't put it, "Don't interfere with what?"  
"I told her... I told her to leave her dad out of this!"  
"Whose dad?" Kate didn't understand what was happening right now. Did somebody got her confused with someone else? But she knew this voice.  
Instead of an answer though, she felt something hitting her head hard, making her fall down to the ground, everything around her getting blurry.

Tony decided to talk to Kate, seeing as that seemed as the only right thing to do. He quickly drove to her apartment, speeding up the stairs. When he reached her apartment, he knocked and knocked, but no one answered. That wasn't like Kate. He didn't even say anything so even if she was mad, she couldn't have known that it was him standing in front of the door. He realized that he didn't see her car in front of the house. Where was she? Maybe she was at the NCIS Headquarters to get a clear head so Tony hopped in his car and drove to the NCIS Headquarters.

The elevator binged before Tony walked out of it and into the bullpen of Gibbs' team.  
He walked around the corner, but no Kate.  
"DiNozzo, what are you doing here?" Gibbs called out, walking to the bullpen. He came from the stairs, so he probably talked to the Director before.  
"Kate she... she's not in her apartment so I thought she came here?"  
Gibbs shook his head, immediately realizing that this was serious, "Where have you seen her the last time?"  
"At my apartment, and no, she is not there."  
Gibbs seriously looked at Tony, "What happened, Tony?"  
"Nothing boss it's..."  
"Tony", Gibbs interrupted him.  
The special agent sighed, "Yesterday she and I had a fight, she got mad at me and left."  
"Do you know any place she would go to?"  
Tony thought for a little, "Maybe she would go to her sister's!"  
Gibbs nodded, "You have her number?"  
"No but maybe Kate has it here somewhere", Tony answered, jogging over to Kate's desk, looking for Rachel's number, "Found it", he gladly said when he found her number.  
He dialed it, lucky that Rachel quickly answered the phone, "Cranston."  
Tony was about to, once again, call her 'Kate's sister', only to realize that they probably haven't met yet in this universe, "Hi, this is Tony DiNozzo. I was wondering... is Kate at yours?"  
"Kate? Well she was an hour ago, but she left. Why?"  
"Do you know where she went to?"  
"Well I thought she would go to your place or hers."  
Tony felt his heart beating faster, "She's not at either of these places."  
"Something must have happened to her!"  
"D-Don't worry, I'll find her, I promise. I won't let anything happen to her", Tony said before hanging up, just to add in his mind, "Not again."

The guy cuffed her hands together before he stood in front of her to remove the mask from her eyes.  
"It's you", she said, both shocked and surprised.  
He just grinned evilly.  
"What do you want with me?"  
"I told her that she should leave her dad out of this. Then I saw him at the crime scene. And now even more people got involved. They will not get me."  
"Are you talking about Petty Officer Parker's father? I don't know what you're talking about, but the only way he got involved was by being questioned by us. We were the first to be at the crime scene after the body was found", Kate calmly answered.  
"But I saw him", he loudly replied.  
"You didn't saw him", Kate kept her calm tone.  
He shook his head angrily, "You're lying! But they're not gonna get me! No one is going to find you up here! And if they do find you, they'll only get you alive if I won't get punished!"  
Kate took a few breathes, "Listen, by kidnapping me you can only get into bigger trouble so if you release me and confess what you have done..."  
"Shut up", he interrupted her, "I'm not gonna make a deal with you!"  
"I was thinking so already", Kate, still calm, started, inconspicuously reaching with her behind her back cuffed hands into her front pockets, calling Tony's cellphone, "But you shouldn't do anything you'll regret later."  
"I'm not gonna regret this!"  
"You mean you won't regret abducting a special agent and holding her as a hostage on a roof?"  
"What should I regret about that?"  
"Could you really live on knowing that you've left someone for death on an empty roof on the edge of the city? And that after a quite uncomfortable car ride in some old, rusty truck?"  
He didn't say anything at first, "As long as I won't get caught, I'm fine."  
"Why are you doing this?" Kate asked, not understanding how someone could be so cold-hearted.  
"That's none of your business", he yelled.  
"Now that I know that you're her murderer I might as well know why you killed her."  
"I'm not gonna tell you though."  
"Are you happy now?"  
"What?"  
Kate looked him deep in the eyes, "Are you happy now that you killed her and have abducted me? Are you happy as long as you won't get into prison? Is that your goal?"  
"There's no need for me to go there. I did nothing wrong!"  
"You killed her", Kate continued talking in her calm voice, trying to calm him down as well.  
"I did what was necessary", he responded.  
"Did it help you?"  
He stayed silent at first, "Stop asking me those questions!"  
"No, I'm not."  
"Then die!"  
"I'm not gonna die, cause you're not gonna kill me. Killing a Petty Officer and a federal agent is not gonna bring you anything. You're young, do something with your life."  
"That's what adults keep saying. _You're young. You have your whole life ahead of you._ Well, maybe I do, but what is life worth living for if you have no one to live it with?"  
"Nothing", a familiar voice suddenly said from behind the guy, calming Kate down, because she immediately recognized that it was Tony's voice, "But it doesn't give you the right to kill someone."  
The guy turned around, "Go away or she'll die!" He yelled, suddenly holding a gun against Kate's head.  
Gibbs and McGee both raised their guns at him immediately.  
Tony slowly walked towards him, "Why did you kill her?"  
"I wanted to know where my girlfriend is!"  
"You mean... Dana Stewart?" Tony paused. He knew if he chose the wrong words now, Josh might end up shooting the gun at Kate.  
"Yes. She and Jenna were supposedly best friends but for some reason Dana disappeared and Jenna didn't want to tell me where she'd gone off to", Josh explained, "She just... she just kept repeating that Dana is dead. But she's not", he yelled.  
"I know that you've been missing your girlfriend. She's the one you love. And then she's suddenly gone", Tony calmly said, still slowly approaching Josh, "It hurts."  
"I just want her back", Josh yelled. He obviously believed that Dana Stewart was still alive.  
"Josh... Jenna told you the truth. Dana died", Tony softly said.  
The next thing Tony heard was a gunshot, causing his heart to stop for a moment.

**Cliffhanger! What just happened? And what is still gonna happen?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Enjoy this next chapter :-) I do NOT own NCIS but you already know that. So here's the chaper.**

Tony opened his eyes when he noticed that they were closed. To his surprise, Josh apparently fell down because Tony saw him getting up. He was relieved, thinking that Kate probably jumped against Josh so the bullet didn't hit anyone.  
"Josh", Tony called out, preventing Josh from doing anything to Kate, "Is this worth it?"  
Josh didn't say anything, so Tony slowly approached him more, almost standing in front of Josh.  
"You've lost the person you love more than anything else. It's hard on you, I know that. But you can't change what's happened in the past."  
"She is not dead!"  
"Yes, she is. She was killed, right next to you."  
Tears fell down Josh's face.  
"You feel sad and lonely, that's understandable. But you can't kill people."  
"I'll find whoever killed her and avenge her!"  
"Josh", Tony calmed him down, "I know you feel this way right now but it won't change anything."  
"Yes it will!"  
"No, it won't. Even if her murderer was dead, the pain would still be there. It's not something you can simply kill off. Having her murderer dead would be a relief but it's not gonna change things. You'll still wake up everyday missing her, knowing that you can't see her ever again. You might feel empty and you might try to ignore it. But you have to... you have to let go", Tony realized.  
Gibbs quickly took the opportunity to grab Josh and put him handcuffs on before he and McGee brought Josh downstairs.  
Tony unknotted the cuffs around Kate's wrists before taking her in his arms, putting his arms around her back.  
"I tried to figure out why you would tell me something like that... now I know", tears were rolling down her face as the two looked into each others eyes, "You trust me."  
Tony slowly nodded, "I do. I know it's crazy. I wouldn't have believed it but... you being here is the ultimate proof that it's not a lie... I know I don't have proof to convince you so..."  
"I trust you too, Tony", she softly interrupted him, "And I know you too well. There's no way you would make something like that up."  
"You... you believe me?"  
A small smile came on her face while she nodded her head, "I do."  
He pulled her closer again, holding her tight, "I've missed you so much, Katie."  
"I love you, Tony."  
He leaned back a little, his face right in front of hers. He looked into her eyes. He was so happy. Tony got closer, until his lips met hers.  
After their kiss they let go of each other, still standing close to each other.  
"What you said to Josh a few minutes ago... were you... were you talking about the way you feel?" Kate slowly asked.  
Tony swallowed but nodded then, "Yes."  
"Tony I... I don't want you to feel that way."  
Tears now filled Tony's eyes, "But I love you, Kate. I can't live without you."  
"You got through the years without me, Tony. You can keep living that way."  
"Just because I'm alive doesn't mean I'm okay."  
Kate tried finding the right words, "You told him to let go. The same goes for you", she gently put her hand on his chest, "You have to let go of me too, Tony."  
He shook his head, "I can't."  
"You have to try it. I know you can do it."  
"What if I don't want to?"  
She gave him a warm smile, "I want you to be happy. It's good to know that you care about me and that you wish that I was still alive. But you can't change what happened in the past. I'm not gonna come back, Tony. Don't let me change your life so much."  
"You already did. You stole my heart", a small smile came on his face.  
Kate smiled back at him, "And you mine. So keep it."  
"But I need you!"  
"And I need you to live your life. I'm not saying that you should forget about me or pretend that you don't mind that I'm dead. But you have to accept my death. Think about the moments we had. Remember this."  
"Knowing that this is what I've been missing on for the rest of my life isn't better."  
"But now you got to tell me what you feel for me. And you got to hear what I feel for you."  
He nodded, "I know..."  
"See. It's okay, Tony. I'm alright here. You have to be happy. For both of us."  
"Okay", he whispered.  
She pulled her arms around his neck, giving him a soft kiss on his cheeks.

Tony suddenly heard a loud beeping sound in his head that got louder and louder. He pinched his eyes together. He felt as if he was chained so he slowly opened his eyes. They felt so heavy right now and he had to blink because it was suddenly so bright.  
"Tony", he heard Gibbs saying, relief in his voice.  
He turned his head to where Gibbs' voice was coming from. With a cracked voice Tony wasked, "Where... where am I?"  
"Don't worry, Tony. You're alright now. You're in the hospital", Gibbs slowly explained.  
"How long was I away?"  
"Just a few days. You were in coma. You seemed to have quite the dream", Gibbs softly smiled, taking a tissue to wipe off the tears on Tony's face.  
"I found out who killed the Petty Officer", Tony said.

Tony got released from the hospital a few hours later. When he got in his apartment he lay down on his couch.  
Though he was sad that he had to say his final goodbye to Kate, he was relieved that he had gotten a second chance to do so.  
In the end he was not able to be with her forever. But he knew that she would live on in his memory and in his heart. He would not let her down. He would be happy for both of them, just as she wished.  
"You figured it out after all", Tony heard the old man saying.  
"So I won't get rid of you ever?"  
The old man giggled, "I am a part of you, Tony. I am your mind."  
"So that's what you are... and that's why you said I had to figure it out."  
He nodded, "You had to let go. You were hiding your emotions for far too long. And you needed to see her again. One last time."  
"Thank you."  
The old man nodded and smiled before he disappeared for the last time.

Tony leaned back. He would never forget Kate, or stop loving her. He would keep her in his heart forever. But from now on, he would accept their fate and stop thinking about what could have been.

**THE END**

**So, that's it, guys. That was my fanfiction "What Could Have Been" I hope you enjoyed it and I would appreciate if you'd leave reviews to let me know how you found it! Thanks for everyone who read and reviewed this little story :-) Thanks again everybody and have a nice day!**


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